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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Ecuador to Assume South American Council Presidency

Quito - The Ecuadorian Defense Minister Javier Ponce affirmed that this nation will assume Presidency of the South American Defense Council in August.

"The council will pass to Ecuador in a difficult situation because diplomatic relations with Colombia has not yet been restored and diplomatic relations between this country and Venezuela are frozen, emphasized Ponce."

That situation introduced complex and difficult ingredients to the creation of this body, he pointed out.

The Minister highlighted this Council must yield consensus taking into account sub-regional and national characteristics and contribute to strengthen the Latin America and Caribbean unity.

Made up by 12 nations the entity was created last March in Santiago de Chile and became the first organ that comes from the South American Union of Nations (UNSUR) founded in Brasilia in May 2008 and from which this nation will also assume Presidency in August.

Poce announcement appeared in moments in which Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula demanded the Council's meeting to ask Colombia to give account for its decision to increase US military presence in its territory.

Without any intention to get involve in Bogota's internal affairs Lula and other regional leaders have warned that US troops deployment in Colombia could constitute a destabilizing factor for the region and prompted an armed race in Latin America.

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