Andean Presidents to give integration a political boost

Lima, Jun 5. The Heads of State of the five member countries of the Andean Community (CAN) will this week give a political boost to subregional integration at the XII Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council to be held in Lima on June 9 and 10.

At this meeting, they will approve the guidelines for action and the annual program (2000-2001) for the establishment of the Andean Common Market (MCA) in 2005 and will issue directives for progressively implementing the Common Foreign Policy, spurring border development, and strengthening the process on other fronts.

Expected to participate are the Heads of State of Bolivia, Hugo Bánzer; Colombia, Andrés Pastrana; Ecuador, Gustavo Noboa; Peru, Alberto Fujimori; and Venezuela, Hugo Chávez.

The speakers at the opening ceremony, scheduled for Friday, June 9th at midday are the Presidents of Colombia, Andrés Pastrana, and Peru, Alberto Fujimori, as well as the Secretary General of the Andean Community, Sebastián Alegrett, and the Chairman of the Advisory Council of Finance or Treasury Ministers, Central Bank Presidents, and Economic Planning Agencies.

The summit schedule includes a private meeting of Andean Presidents on the afternoon of Friday, June 9th, and a regular session on the morning of Saturday the 10th, where the bodies of the Andean Integration System (SAI) will give a report and the Presidential Declaration and Act of Lima will be adopted.

The meeting will be closed at 12:00 noon on Saturday the 10th with addresses to be given by Presidents Alberto Fujimori and Hugo Chávez. At that time, Peru will hand over the Chairmanship of the Andean Community to Venezuela, thereby complying with the provision for rotation of the chair of the CAN’s highest-level body.

The Advisory Council of Treasury or Finance Ministers, Central Banks, and Economic Planning Agencies will also hold its IV meeting on Thursday, June 8th, to address issues connected with macroeconomic policy harmonization. The conclusions reached will be presented to the Presidents for their consideration.