MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile's Bachelet nominated Unasur's first president

Chile's Michelle Bachelet was chosen as the first president of the Union of South American Nations which was formally founded on Friday in Brasilia when the leaders of its twelve country members signed the constitutional charter.

The Unasur rotating chair "is a great honor for Chile and recognition to the country's and Ms Bachelet dedication to integration", said Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Alejandro Foxley. "Unasur will give us a louder voice in world affairs" and is a potent mechanism for integration, said Ms Bachelet on accepting the nomination. "The time for rhetoric integration is over, now we need concrete, practical decisions that our peoples value and can see every day. The first seal we are going to stamp to this new beginning is that of social affairs" promised the Chilean president. "The fact President Bachelet was named is a reward for her enormous contribution in the last year and a half to pave the way for the signing of the Unasur charter", added Foxley. "We want physical integration. It's not possible that to fly from Santiago to Brasilia one must spend a whole day jumping from airport to airport. We must conclude the bi-oceanic corridors. President Bachelet reaffirmed presidents Lula da Silva and Morales commitment to finish by the end of 2009 the highway that will link the port of Santos on the Atlantic with Arica and Iquique on the north of Chile after crossing Bolivia". Foxley downplayed tensions of the opening meeting saying that "when there's a real integration determination and spirit, and I believe all presidents have that determination, through dialogue we can address possible differences". Leaders present at the signing of the constitutional charter for Unasur included besides Chile's Bachelet and Brazil's Lula da Silva; Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner; Alan Garcia from Peru; Alvaro Uribe from Colombia; Hugo Chavez, Venezuela, Rafael Correa, Ecuador; Evo Morales, Bolivia; Nicanor Duarte Frutos, Paraguay; Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo; Surinam, Ronald Venetiaan and vicepresident Rodolfo Nin Novoa from Uruguay.