Address by his Excellency Hugo Banzer Suarez, President of Bolivia, at the Twelfth Regular Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council
Lima, June 10, 2000

Ladies and gentlemen:

At our previous meeting, held in cartage, we assumed fundamental commitments to advance the integration process in which we are engaged.

We were aware at that time that the task would not be easy, as it had not been over the three previous decades. However, adverse changes in the economic climate, to which we are all exposed, compounded the difficulties normal to an undertaking of that kind, raising doubts over the future of the Andean Community.

We must admit that few advances have been made in the area of integration since our meeting in Cartagena in may of last year. The unfavorable economic scenario in which we have had to operate, with the resulting negative consequences for the social area, has limited our ability to make our integration more vigorous. Our presence here today, however, is a reaffirmation of our intention to continue our efforts to meet the targets we set ourselves a little over thirty years ago. It is a reassertion of our commitment to continue seeking the answers our nations are demanding.

It is not a matter of keeping to a course, guided only by ideals, which undoubtedly still exist, but of acknowledging realities that are becoming more pressing with each passing day. There is no longer any place for isolated efforts today. The solutions are to be found in the large global spaces, in the emerging trade blocs, in economic infrastructure and complementarity. Development does not stop at national borders. It requires an endlessly stretching geography where one area does not discriminate against another.

Over this past year, our countries have suffered the negative economic effects of a phenomenon of our times: globalization. We have had to bear the cost of mistakes and carelessness of other countries in the handling of their economic policies. The crises fueled poverty and unemployment and we found that the mechanisms for confronting them must also be global.

While this situation, with its disruption of our economies to a greater or lesser extent, did slow our trade, it failed to cancel out the advances made in Andean integration or to disrupt the operation of the free trade area. Except for a few minor alterations, which we hope will be temporary, the enlarged Andean Market for circulation of goods is a tangible reality that we must safeguard.

The economic crisis logically makes itself felt in social and, occasionally, political problems. That is the explanation for a large part of the varied problems that our community process is experiencing in differing degrees.

For us, integration is a development tool, an essential means to improve the living conditions of our nations. it is our intention to build a strengthened economy at the service of man, the Andean Community Citizen. It is for that reason that we have been insisting, since our meeting in Guayaquil two years ago, on the need for a social agenda that is concrete and efficient.

Political stability cannot be built on chronic postponements or unsatisfied demands.

Messrs. presidents:

Bolivia at this time once again expresses its full support for Andean integration which should, perhaps, be given a stronger projection within the South American context.

The formation of the Andean Common Market is a political project. Its success will depend on the determination with which we pursue this aim; on our capacity to meet the deadlines that have been set; on the realistic frame of mind in which we seek this goal; on our flexibility in the face of changing situations that will undoubtedly arise; on the dizzying speed of technological change that makes future scenarios increasingly unpredictable. It is an objective that we can accomplish if we act immediately and move ahead progressively. We must do so while making gradual commitments consistently, but without forcing the member countries to take on obligations in the short term that they are objectively unable to assume and, above all, by demonstrating a capacity to make certain individual sacrifices for the good of the Community.

A Common Market, because of its implications, requires political leadership, an overview of the whole, which must unquestionably be assumed by the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers. It also requires continuing dialogue and harmonization. Our experience with domestic politics has shown us that even the most complex obstacles can be overcome through the use of this instrument. Not long ago, in response to rising conflicts in Bolivia, we decided to convene a process of deliberation by all sectors of Bolivian society, as the second national dialogue, in order to arrive at a broad-based agreement for reinforcing the country’s political stability and finding solutions to the most pressing social problems. greater citizen participation was needed for a better distribution of the benefits, as well as for the assumption of responsibilities in response to development challenges.

We should incorporate this positive experience with dialogue and harmonization as a practice to ensure that the commitments called for by Andean integration cannot be reversed.

Messrs. presidents:

Our meeting in this beautiful city of lima is also an appropriate occasion for discussing the position the Andean Community should occupy within South America, given the proximity of the summit of South American presidents, to which we have been invited by Brazilian President Fernando Enrique Cardozo.

Bolivia's geographic location at the heart of the region gives it a natural South American vocation and is why South American integration is one of its most important foreign policy priorities. For that reason, we hail Brazil’s initiative and back it fully.

In fact, this initiative is in line with the proposals put forward continually by Bolivia to promote the merging of the Andean Community and Mercosur, as the basis for the effective materialization of a regional project.

The Andean Community and Mercosur, despite their momentum and vigor, are not large enough spaces of themselves to individually meet the enormous challenges posed by today’s world and the need for a strong presence on the international scene. Their union and the shaping of a South American space would make it possible to mobilize human capital consisting of over 340 million persons and the enormous potential represented by an almost unrivalled store of natural, energy, mining, hydrographic, and biodiversity resources.

That is why my country last year proposed the creation of a "political dialogue and harmonization mechanism for the integration of South America," a proposal that we reiterate today and that we sincerely hope will be considered at the South American Summit, with andean support. This mechanism would be geared towards giving the appropriate political dimension to any actions that may be agreed upon in Brazil, a dimension that is essential if want them to last and have a long term projection.

The mechanism we are proposing would be neither operational in nature, nor for follow-up purposes. Rather, it is intended to create the appropriate political conditions for boosting and envigorating South American integration, organizing political cooperation matters of common interest to the region, and promoting community actions within the international system.

Messrs. presidents:

We must not let ourselves be defeated by adverse economic conditions today, nor must we become wrapped up in our own domestic problems. The current situation makes it necessary for us to seek long-term structural solutions that are effective for all of us and to adopt well-timed measures accordingly.

Thank you very much,