Lima, April 5, 2004. The Secretary General of the Andean Community welcomed the end of negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement between the Andean Community and Mercosur and highlighted that once it is effective, on this coming July 1^st, “it will contribute to materialize the great project of creating a South American space made up of 350 million people".

As was previously informed, the President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez –who in turn presides over the Andean Presidential Council-, has invited the Heads of State of Mercosur to attend the Andean Summit, to be held this July 9, in Cuenca, Ecuador.

President Gutiérrez proposed that, on that occasion, a strategic agreement be entered into with the five Andean Presidents and the four Mercosur Presidents, to set up a program that will define the future steps of South American integration.

This last Friday, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela and the Mercosur countries successfully ended the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement between both parties, during their two-day Eighth Meeting held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, thus concluding a negotiation process that was started almost ten years ago.

Ambassador Wagner explained that the actions towards the South American space will not only involve commercial aspects, but will also involve aspects of the IIRSA –the South American Infrastructure Construction Program, with important arterial roads that will contribute to internally integrate the Subcontinent -, in addition to other elements within the political, economic, social and cultural context.

Finally, Wagner informed that, the Andean Community-Mercosur negotiations being ended, the products and origin requirements will be included in the respective forms and schedules and will be presented to the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) for further formalization. "This is strictly administrative work to make the Free Trade Agreement effective on July 1^st ", he indicated.