MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Caracas summit.

The so called Group of 3, or G3, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, created in 1996 in to promote political links and regional trade but since then stagnant, reappeared in the Latinamerican scene when the three countries presidents met in Caracas, Venezuela, for a two days summit over the weekend. Although the agenda included human rights, democracy, organised crime, energy policy, full support to Colombia's peace process with the leftwing guerrilla, observers coincide that the main topic between presidents Vicente Fox from Mexico, Colombia's Andrés Patrana and host Hugo Chávez, was the coming Quebec summit at the end of the month, when 34 presidents from the three Americas will be discussing vital decisions regarding the all Americas Free Trade Association. Although Mexico is a member of Nafta, (North America Free Trade Association) and has a privileged situation regarding access to the United States and Canadian markets, the three presidents agreed that the coming talks in the III America's summit in Quebec must concentrate in "the contents and not necessarily in the timetable" for the creation of the all Americas Free Trade Association. United States, Canada and Chile are pressing for advancing the reduction of tariffs originally targeted for 2005, while Brazil and Venezuela lead the group that would rather consolidate regional integration, --to gain bargaining power--, and have previous assurances that the United States is willing to facilitate access to the US market and eliminate impediments to agricultural commodities, before discussing tariffs.