EFE Agency
Lima, May 17, 2008

Bolivian President Evo Morales today asked the European Union “not to cause a division among the Andean countries” in the negotiation of an association agreement, but did say that his country, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have agreed to stay united.

In a press conference, Morales stated that the four member countries of the Andean Community (CAN) "reached an understanding" during a meeting held today in Lima with authorities of the European Union. 

The will of all of the countries to continue negotiating, with a view toward, in 2009,  reaching a broad association agreement with a political, trade and cooperation content, was ratified at that meeting, held during the course of the Fifth Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union (LAC-EU) on Friday. 

"It is our cherished wish that the negotiation be carried out on a bloc-to-bloc basis and that Bolivia not be bypassed without consultation, as some presidents would like,” Morales stated in reference to the desire of Colombia and Peru to reach individual agreements with the EU.

"We sincerely hope that the EU can understand that it is not our intention to repair damages of five hundred years’ standing, --he explained-- but that it is important to complement each other in order to achieve a certain degree of equality among our nations, through transparent negotiation of trade matters.”  

To his way of understanding, "the Latin American presidents cannot privatize utilities; that matter is not negotiable and biodiversity cannot be patented, or natural resources plundered.” 

Morales explained that he has held bilateral meetings outside the framework of the Summit with Chávez, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with the German Prime Minister, Angela Merkel, and with the President of Guatemala, Álvaro Colom, in addition to with the head of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

He also met with the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, the European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini. EFE