Andean Community Presidents to meet next week in Colombia

Lima, June 20, 2003. The Presidents of the Andean Community (CAN) Member Countries will hold their Fourteenth Summit Meeting next week in Quirama, Colombia, to lay down the new strategy guidelines for the integration process.

The Presidents of Bolivia, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada; Colombia, Álvaro Uribe; Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez; Peru, Alejandro Toledo; and Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, will attend the Meeting, which is scheduled for June 27 and 28. Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will be the guest of honor.

The Summit will be preceded by a series of preparatory meetings at both the Vice-Ministerial and Ministerial levels, which will take place in the Antioquia Technological Park "Recinto Quirama", 50 kilometers from Medellín.

On Wednesday, June 25, the Trade Ministers will examine the issues that are pending for the consolidation of the Common Market, the draft Presidential Declaration, and negotiations with third parties, among other things. In an enlarged session with the Ministers of Communication, they will look into measures to be taken with regard to the Simón Bolívar Satellite System.

That same day, at the same time, the Andean Foreign Ministers will review the items on the agenda for the Fourteenth Summit and on Thursday, June 26^th will continue the same task, meeting in enlarged session as the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers with the Ministers of Trade.

At the latter meeting, the participants will address the issues of the Andean Labor Migration Instruments, Social Security and Health at Work; the Andean Cooperation Mechanism on Consular Assistance and Protection and Migratory Matters; the Andean Plan for the Prevention, Control and Eradication of Illicit Trafficking in Small and Light Weapons; and Guidelines for the Andean Social Development Strategy, among other matters.

Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, will open the Fourteenth Presidential Council on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. and the meeting will conclude at midday on Saturday, the 28th, with the signing of a Presidential Declaration. At that time, Colombia will hand over the Pro Tempore Secretariat to Ecuador.