MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Annan praises Iberoamerican leaders for focus on illegal immigration

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday praised leaders at the 16th annual Ibero-American Summit for resolving to make progress on growing illegal immigration in an increasingly mobile world community.

At an opening ceremony of the 22-nation summit last night in Montevideo, Annan told the leaders that there are an estimated 26 million Latin American immigrants, constituting 13 percent of people worldwide crossing borders to flee poverty for opportunities elsewhere.

He said the US is the leading destination for most migrants but that Spain, whose monarch Juan Carlos presided over the summit start, is increasingly sought out by those fleeing hardships in Latin America, North Africa and other regions.

??International migration is one of the great issues of this century. In an increasingly globalized world there is a growing desire by peoples who wish to move to new countries,'' Annan said in a keynote speech punctuated by applause. ??It is a new era.''

Annan said the UN supported regional groups such as the Iberoamerican nations in ordering the growing flow of migrants ? illegal and otherwise ? and defending their rights.

The secretary-general also urged summit partners to discuss new ways to eradicate poverty afflicting some 230 million Latin Americans, saying high inequality rates between rich and poor worldwide fuel the spread of undocumented workers abroad.

Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez followed Annan as host, telling a packed audience that ??migratory problems are an ever more pressing challenge.''

Still recovering from a 2002 economic meltdown, hundreds of thousands of Uruguayans have left for Europe or other countries in the Americas, Vázquez added. ??Nobody is alone on this.''

Eight of Latin America's 19 leaders did not attend the summit opening, their absence marring efforts to join Spain and Portugal in a united front to call for safeguarding the rights of illegal immigrants.

Amid the absenteeism, foreign ministers at their preparatory meeting expressed ??profound concern'' over Washington's moves to build new fencing along the desert border with Mexico, saying such barriers encourage ??discrimination and xenophobia'' and don't deter the migration of undocumented workers.

The statement, subject to final approval by the leaders before the summit's close tomorrow, also said wall-building is ??incompatible with the spirit of friendship and cooperation between states.''

Mexican President Vicente Fox, who leaves office in December, has lobbied the United States to give the millions of Mexicans north of the border a chance at US citizenship. Fox has called the border fencing ??shameful'' and likened it to the former Berlin Wall. Some 11 million Mexicans are estimated to be in the United States, half of them illegally.

Enrique Iglesias, head of the summit's general-secretariat, said the ??Commitment of Montevideo'' statement would call for heightened efforts to protect the human rights of millions of migrants in Latin America and Europe.

The draft advocates a united strategy to reduce migration flows while protecting the human rights of migrants ? and to fight attempts to exploit poor workers who cross borders seeking jobs. The working paper contained no reference to the US border fence controversy that the foreign ministers addressed in their side declaration.

The foreign ministers also redoubled pledges to fight terrorism and saluted the demobilization of some 40,000 members of ??illegal armed groups'' in Colombia since November 2003, backing President Alvaro Uribe's efforts to end decades of simmering civil war.