"The economies of all of the countries are oriented towards exporting to the United States and Europe and towards competing with each other, which stands in the way of true integration," said Lander.
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia (IPS) - The second summit of the South American Community of Nations is facing several major challenges: the integration of physical and energy infrastructure for the development of the region, overcoming the high levels of inequality and poverty, and recognising and encouraging the diverse cultural identities of the region's population.
The draft of the final declaration of the Friday-Saturday summit taking place in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba is nearly complete, and is organised around these main themes. An action plan for achieving the goals outlined has also been drawn up.
"We will thus be able to build the world's fourth largest bloc, after NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the European Union, and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," Chilean diplomat Luis Maira, who helped draft the declaration, told IPS.
It will not be an easy task, and not only because the goals are ambitious. It is not yet clear whether all of the 12 South American presidents will even throw their real support behind the South American Community of Nations, despite their declared backing for regional integration.
Full story: South America: The Big Challenges of Regional Integration
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