NewsWhore
12-16-2008, 05:50 PM
In Brazil for the Rio Group meeting and the First Summit on Integration and Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (CALC), President Leonel Fernandez highlighted the importance of summits in enabling the region to join forces for meeting the challenges of the global crisis. "Today more than ever there is the need for a great bloc that integrates South America with the Caribbean," said President Fernandez upon arrival. He traveled to Brazil with a delegation that includes Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso.
The two-day CALC conference is taking place 16-17 December in Costa do Sauipe. It is being held in parallel with the Mercosur trade bloc summit on Monday and Tuesday that brought together leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Thirty-three presidents from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered to discuss ways to promote trade, integration and development. Press reports highlight the significance of the fact that neither the United States nor the European Union were present at the meetings, signifying a new stance by leading countries in Latin America that are displaying a strong influence in the region.
President Fernandez will also attend a summit of the Rio Group, with its 23 nations in the region, including Cuba, which is expected to be admitted on Wednesday.
The Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on CALC: "The completion of the summit reflects our countries' firm conviction that increasing dialogue and regional cooperation is essential for our region's improved integration in the current international system."
The meeting should focus on issues related to integration and cooperation for the sustainable development of the region in the context of the current financial crisis, as well as energy cooperation, food security and climate change, according to the statement. In addition, the Brazilian government hopes that the summit will contribute to strengthening various regional initiatives and the existing sub-regional integration mechanism, while reaffirming that priorities needed to be placed on economic and social development.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
The two-day CALC conference is taking place 16-17 December in Costa do Sauipe. It is being held in parallel with the Mercosur trade bloc summit on Monday and Tuesday that brought together leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Thirty-three presidents from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered to discuss ways to promote trade, integration and development. Press reports highlight the significance of the fact that neither the United States nor the European Union were present at the meetings, signifying a new stance by leading countries in Latin America that are displaying a strong influence in the region.
President Fernandez will also attend a summit of the Rio Group, with its 23 nations in the region, including Cuba, which is expected to be admitted on Wednesday.
The Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on CALC: "The completion of the summit reflects our countries' firm conviction that increasing dialogue and regional cooperation is essential for our region's improved integration in the current international system."
The meeting should focus on issues related to integration and cooperation for the sustainable development of the region in the context of the current financial crisis, as well as energy cooperation, food security and climate change, according to the statement. In addition, the Brazilian government hopes that the summit will contribute to strengthening various regional initiatives and the existing sub-regional integration mechanism, while reaffirming that priorities needed to be placed on economic and social development.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)