New York, September 21, 2004

Under the chairmanship of Peruvian Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, in his capacity as Chairman of the Andean Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Andean Community and of the Central American Integration System (SICA), plus the Dominican Republic and Belize, held a joint meeting at the United Nations headquarters, where the Andean countries had the opportunity to propose the establishment of a mechanism for political dialogue and cooperation between both integration blocks, something which would represent a prior phase to the future negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement.

The Central American countries had a positive reaction to the Andean initiative, agreeing on the importance of associating the two integration processes in a closer and more institutional manner. They committed to give priority to an evaluation of the proposal submitted by Minister Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros.

The Peruvian Foreign Affairs Minister underscored the similarities existing between Andean and Central American countries when it comes to facing international problems, and he called for a close link between the "Puebla - Panama Plan" and the "South American Initiative for Regional Infrastructure Integration" (IIRSA), to which effect it was agreed for each of the groups to accredit representatives to participate as observers in meetings of the two bodies. Likewise, the General Secretariats of the CAN and the SICA will exchange information to enable a better understanding about both integration processes.