MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay ambivalent about South American integration

Uruguay will not support the creation of a South American Community of Nations, CSN, which is scheduled to be launched next December 9 in Peru.

Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Opertti addressing the Standing Committee of the Uruguayan Parliament argued that before that step is given, Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations CAN, must achieve a more fluid understanding and integration.

"Furthermore, it's not appropriate for an outgoing administration to be involved in such a significant decision", said Mr. Opertti.

Next March the opposition left wing coalition with elected president Tabaré Vazquez will be taking office in Montevideo and although during the campaign trail support for Mercosur and regional integration were shown as the main foreign policy objectives of the incoming administration, it's not clear what the final stance will be.

Uruguay's original position was that "the Community of South American nations reflects the natural convergence of Mercosur and CAN with the purpose of creating an integrated South American space in a second stage".

Gaston Lasarte responsible for Economic Affairs in the Uruguayan Foreign Affairs ministry recently argued that the "new space could act as political and trade counter balances to better negotiate conditions with other blocks".

However Mr. Opertti during the hearing admitted that the evaluation and assessment of the proposal, "is still ongoing and was delayed because it coincided with the October national elections period".

The Uruguayan minister revealed that the formal proposal for the creation of CSN, was received last September 24 and that all countries had until November 15 to include any changes in the Cuzco Declaration draft, which supposedly will be made public next December 9 in Ayacucho, Peru.

Mr. Opertti also emphasized that a decision involving the creation of a new regional integration forum should be addressed by the incoming government since it won the elections with a clear majority and with out the need of a runoff.

Another country which apparently has some apprehension about creating new regional forums is Colombia.

The idea of a South American Community of Nations has been vigorously sponsored by the president of the Mercosur Committee of Permanent Representatives, former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde and the Brazilian diplomacy under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"We have always supported regional integration and we don't have major objections about this kind of projects. Convergence of Mercosur and CAN should be no impediment to achieve further objectives such as the South American unity", said Uruguayan Senator Eduardo Rubio who represents the incoming elected government in the Standing Committee.