Colombia, June 23, 2003. The CAN Secretary General, Guillermo Fernández de Soto, reported that at the forthcoming Andean Presidential Summit, the Heads of State will endorse the new direction being given to the Andean integration process in the addressing of a second generation of policies, based on the accumulated strengths of the Community.   

"The context for this redirectioning of Andean integration is a multidimensional agenda that will concentrate on the five core themes determined by the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers in March 2003:  Social Agenda, Common Market, Common Foreign Policy, Physical Integration of South America and Sustainable Development," he explained.    

In describing the details of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council, which will take place in  Quirama, Colombia, on June 27 and 28, Fernández de Soto asserted that the Presidents would once again hold the future of the movement in their hands as they did thirteen years ago in Galápagos.

"In 1989, the Heads of State brought an end to an extended period of protectionism and took the first steps toward opening up our markets, with the result that trade within the Subregion bloomed rapidly.  Now they will point the way for us to emerge from a period of transition that will require our the integration agenda new dimensions," he stated emphatically.   

In regard to his expectations for the forthcoming Summit, he had the following to say:  "We expect to see Andean integration emerge as a powerful instrument for promoting the harmonious and balanced development of our countries and a suitable option for advancing our countries’ insertion within a globalized world and improving the quality of life of our peoples."