The words of the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Dr. Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, during his visit to the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community

Lima, March 8, 2002

I would like to start by saying how pleased I am to have the opportunity to make this visit to the Headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community, and to be able to share with you some ideas about our integration process, and Ecuador’s vision regarding this process.

Ecuador, as a founding country of the Andean Group more than 30 years ago, and as a nation profoundly committed to integration and sub-regional progress, decisively supports the strengthening and the consolidation of the community process, convinced that this is the right way to create sustainable development and well-being for our peoples.

Globalization of international relations, internationalization of the world economy and multilateralization of negotiations oblige all countries, and in greater measure developing countries, to redesign their foreign and economic policies in order to bring them into line with the new circumstances. This means that, in contrast to the protectionism of the 60s and 70s, deregulation of economies prevails today in keeping with the world trend toward open markets and toward an ample circulation of all economic factors. Today, our developing countries and integration processes must make the effort to attain high levels of competitiveness, in order to export products and services of the highest quality.

This is a crucial time for the Andean Community in terms of its institutional strengthening. It has been Ecuador's great pleasure to welcome the headquarters of the Court of Justice of the Andean Community and the sub-headquarters of the Simón Bolívar Andean University, just as the other member countries have welcomed different organs of the sub-regional integration system. It is the duty of our Andean countries to strengthen the action of all Andean institutions, which offer us great support in our tasks and whose prestige recognized by the international community.

The Andean presidents have adopted the political decision to progress toward greater degrees of integration, as expressed in our plan for the forming of an Andean Common Market by December 2005. This Community goal will bring great benefits to our peoples within the Community, and will mean that the Sub-regional Group will gain the respect and admiration of the international community, especially of developed countries and economic blocks that will see in the Andean Community an interesting and reliable counterpart with which to enter into political, economic and trade alliances.

The Andean Community has to move toward that end, by complying with presidential guidelines for the perfecting of the free trade area by June 2002 and of the Customs Union by December of next year, namely: the strengthening of common foreign policy; the adoption of a Community agricultural policy; the adoption of a Social Agenda; the harmonizing of macroeconomic policies and the indispensable standardization of technical standards and of sanitary and phyto-sanitary requisites to boost the flow of sub-regional trade.

Let us move on from speech to the development, also, of the best Community alternatives, by raising one single Andean voice in negotiations with third countries or blocks of nations, and for the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas; let us recognize the future possibilities offered by agreements for the full functioning of the border integration zones; let us implement in the short term Andean programs of computer education to promote our shared history and culture, and with a view to strengthening the education of the enormous human capital of the Sub-region; let us draw up an Andean Human Rights Charter -- on which the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry is currently working; let us implement an integrated program for health and against drug use; let us pave the way toward a true transfer of knowledge and of clean technology among the five Andean nations; let us take advantage of the strategic potential of the Andean Sub-region, as a strategic factor for our energy security and that of the whole hemisphere.

We must all make every effort and sacrifice and bring all our goodwill to bear to crystallize these agreements and actually apply them, since we shall all be the winners with integration. We must not give preferences and advantages to third countries, however important they may be, to the detriment of our Andean partners. But it is also essential, in Ecuador’s vision, to remain faithful to the principles of harmonious and balanced development of the member countries, an essential part of the Cartagena Accord, which means the recognition in practice of special and differentiated treatment favoring Bolivia and Ecuador because of their lesser development. This will be conducive to the success of our endeavor, since in true integration all the participating members should gain and thereby increase intra-regional trade.

Finally, I would like give my cordial greetings to all the staff of this Secretariat General and express to you Ecuador’s recognition for the magnificent work that you are doing, day after day, to promote the integration of our countries. Ecuador greatly appreciates the cooperation and technical assistance received from this Secretariat General.

Thank you very much.