MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur/CAN fusion in “two years time”

Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde one of the main driving forces behind the creation this week of the South American Community of Nations estimated that in two years time Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations, CAN, will have integrated making unnecessary independent denominations.

Mr. Duahlde who is also president of the Mercosur Representatives Committee was tasked together with Alan Wagner, Secretary General of CAN, by the recent III South American presidential summit, to elaborate a road map for the near future.

"Step by step CAN and Mercosur will converge becoming the South American Community, but gradually disappearing at the same time. But in spite of the haste there's no rush, because we could end with an empty declaration", argued Mr. Duhalde. "My idea is that in a few months time CAN should be known as South American Community-CAN and Mercosur, South American Community MS, so we have time to get in touch with the new initials".

Mercosur, (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), and CAN (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela) plus Chile, Guyana and Surinam are the basis for the South American Community of Nations officially founded this week in Cuzco, Peru.

Regarding tariffs one of the most controversial issues ahead, Mr. Duhalde said that in two years time in the framework of ALADI (Latinamerican Integration Association), "95% of all produce will circulate freely in South American markets".

"Although we have no specific timetable for the fusion of both groups, I think that two years is a good guess", indicated Mr. Duhalde.

Peru the host country was chosen for the pro tempore chair of the twelve members SA Community of Nations until next year when Brazil takes over and in 2006 Bolivia.

The first meeting of Foreign Affairs ministers from the group will be held next March when the elected Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez takes office and for then "we should have an idea of the institutional structure and courses of action", underlined Peruvian Chancellor Manuel Rodriguez.

During the last day of the presidential summit in Peru, representatives from the twelve member countries and two observers Mexico and Panama, travelled to Ayacucho to celebrate the 180 anniversary of the battle that definitively finished with Spanish colonial dominance and sealed the continent's independence.

The man of the day in December 1826 was the great Liberator Simon Bolivar who expelled Spain from the region with the purpose of creating a United States of South America to counterbalance the growing northern neighbour.

In spite of all his efforts Bolivar died complaining that his dream of a united continent was "like ploughing in the sea", but 180 years later his dream could come true.