Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva concluded his participation at the 28th Mercosur Summit Meeting, in Asunción, Paraguay, today, by requesting the creation of a trade fund and a common industrial policy to integrate the region’s productive systems.
Lula pledged to help Uruguay, which is assuming the temporary presidency of the bloc for the next six months, in mapping the countries’ trade problems.
Lula also urged the participation of society, entrepreneurs, and lawmakers to strengthen the Mercosur, and he called for agility in the creation of the bloc’s parliament, scheduled for 2006.
The President underscored, moreover, the importance of the bloc and integration among the countries for regional development and national political and social consolidation.
Lula recalled victories achieved by the bloc in commercial negotiations with Israel, Canada, Egypt, Morocco, and the European Union.
President Lula also asked for audacity on the part of the Mercosur’s heads of State for the economic bloc to move ahead.
“To advance in the Mercosur’s internal agenda, we need the same audacity that has guided our external actions. The Mercosur has become a privileged negotiating platform that enhances the individual ability of our countries to compete in the global economy,” the President observed.
“The Mercosur is making a place for itself in the world, establishing partnerships, and opening new markets,” Lula concluded.
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