Paris, 21/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - At the third Europe-Latin American Forum, held in Paris on 20 January, the Prescient of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, called on his European and Latin American partners to extend their political dialogue beyond pure trade issues and consider his ideas for closer cooperation.
Kirchner said areas of convergence had to be defined, along with a realistic agenda highlighting the most urgent requirements for political dialogue, recalling the rich cultural heritage and history uniting the two continents. It is essential that we cut the gap between rich and poor in Latin America, and combat marginalisation and social exclusion. With this in mind, regional integration and multilateralism are essential vectors of progress. Calling for macro-economic reform and a strengthening of social justice and the reliability of Latin American institutions, the Argentinean President regretted the errors and models and structural adjustment mechanisms dreamt up by other parties and imposed by international financial institutions that have drained Latin America dry, particularly Argentina, causing an unbelievable level of social exclusion, and urged the EU to support Latin America in its efforts to draw up a new sustainable development strategy along with its social cohesion component. He said relations between the EU and Latin America should not boil down to no more than trading agreements but both sides should develop projects in common based on modern technology and step up cooperation on promising areas like biotech, nanotechnology, software and tourism. He said they should also cooperate more closely along the road of multilateralism for peace and international security, in the war on terror, and combatting drugs trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Welcoming the good economic performance of his own country, and the entire Latin American continent in 2004, with nearly 5% growth following three years of recession in Latin America, Kirchner highlighted the opportunities for the EU to relocate business to Latin America, which he described as having a human resources potential of benefit to Europe. In Argentina, for example, investment legislation is favourable, he said, for foreign direct investment because it makes no discrimination on the basis of where capital originates. He argued that in terms of trade, it was vital to get round the agricultural obstacle and lift health and phytosanitary restrictions. The Argentinean president defended multilateralism as the most effective mechanism for reaching the Millennium Development Targets, and urged Europeans and Latin Americans to step up political dialogue by focussing on three essential topics, namely education, developing trans-continental cultural exchanges, and cooperating on immigration issues.
Kirchner ended by highlighting the urgent need to do something about Haiti, pointing out that the solution to the crisis in the country did not only lie in Latin America's hands. He urged the international community in general and the European Union in particular to take resolute action to help the government of Haiti.