Meeting of Andean Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Lima, March 16, 2001

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, Dr. Javier Murillo de la Rocha, Colombia, Dr. Guillermo Fernández de Soto, and Ecuador, Dr. Heinz Moeller Freile, and the representative of the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gonzalo Gómez Jaén, met in Lima at the invitation of the President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Ambassador Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, to analyze the subregional political situation and the process of strengthening cooperation in the framework of the priorities of the Andean agenda.

The Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs reported on the progress made by the Peruvian Government in consolidating democratic institutions, the full application of Human Rights, and the organization of a transparent electoral process which will be the true reflection of the people's preferences. In this reference, the Ministers of Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador and the representative of the Venezuelan Minister expressed their admiration and respect for the work being done by the Peruvian Government to restore democratic order and the state of law, in order to consolidate a tolerant and participatory democracy. In this context, the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked those present for the valuable support of the Andean countries, the significance of which extends to the whole sub-region.

The Ministers present, and the representative of the Venezuelan Minister, reiterated the firm democratic vocation of their nations and agreed on the need to reinforce their institutions even more and promote the respect of human rights. In this context, they stressed the importance of full application of the " Andean Community's Commitment to Democracy". They also reiterated their support for Peru's proposal that an "Inter-American Democratic Chart" be adopted, within the framework of the OAS.

They emphasized the total agreement of their governments in the radical fight against corruption, not only because of the latter's moral, political and economic cost for the countries, but also because of the serious damage it does to democracy. In this respect, they highlighted the importance of the Declaration of the Andean Presidential Council on the Fight Against Corruption, approved at Cartagena de Indias, on May 27, 1999.

They also analyzed at depth the issue of drug-trafficking in the Andean countries and agreed that the global nature of this phenomenon calls for integrated treatment, both with regard to sub-regional actions, and with regard to the international cooperation based on the principle of shared responsibility in a global, balanced context of the Andean countries' support requirements.

In this reference, they insisted on the need for the international community to offer cooperation in proportion to the efforts their countries are making in the fight against drug-trafficking, in order to guarantee the sustainability of the results obtained, and thereby attenuate the economic and social costs involved.

They demanded, therefore, that the principle of shared responsibility be translated into specific actions.

They also reiterated their commitment to comply with the agreed schedule of meetings that are to precede the Andean Community Summit, which will be held in Caracas in June.

Finally, they reaffirmed their vocation for integration, and ratified their decision to advance with the various commitments associated with the Andean Common Market, the Social Agenda, Integration and Border Development, Common Foreign Policy, and negotiations with MERCOSUR.