Lima, April 22, 2006. The General Secretariat of the Andean Community received a communication today at its Lima headquarters from Venezuelan Foreign Minister Alí Rodríguez Araque, formally reporting the country’s decision to repudiate the Cartagena Agreement, a fact that was confirmed by the Secretary General of that organization, Ambassador Allan Wagner Tizón.

Ambassador Wagner announced that, at the request of the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, the General Secretariat has circulated the communication among the Member Countries and the bodies of the Andean Integration System.  In it, Venezuela not only formalizes its decision to withdraw, but also states its reasons for doing so. 

The Secretary General of the CAN also reported that a communication had been received from the Venezuelan Minister of Light Industry and Trade with regard to the cited repudiation, requesting that a meeting be called of the CAN Commission (made up of the Ministers of Trade) no later than this April 26th, in compliance with Article 135 of the Cartagena Agreement.   

Ambassador Wagner stressed that, under the terms of article 135 of the Cartagena Agreement, any country repudiating that instrument must keep the Trade Liberalization Program that regulates the free trade area existing among the Andean countries in effect for a period of at least five years.  As a result, the Commission, in formalizing that repudiation, should establish --possibly through a working group-- the scope of that link, which is of the highest interest to the five Andean countries, and the means by which it will be maintained.