Uribe: Colombia seeks continental integration

19.07.06

www.bnamericas.com

Colombia was accepted as part of the Plan Puebla-Panamá last week, reaching one of the government’s main goals in terms of integration with Central America, President Álvaro Uribe told BNamericas.

Plan Puebla-Panamá is series of infrastructure and social development projects originally designed to improve integration between Central America and southeast Mexico. Negotiations on behalf of Uribe’s administration will now bring the plan – pushed forward with the help of Mexico’s President Vicente Fox with the aid of the Inter-American Development Bank – into South America.

The country’s acceptance into the plan will allow further integration with Central America, initially in terms of gas and the energy transmission line, said Uribe.

One of Colombia’s main priorities is to build El Darién highway, connecting the country with neighboring Panama, Uribe said. The project will be addressed once the entrance of Chinese goods coming into Colombia through Panama is solved, he said.

Increasing road infrastructure to facilitate the transport of goods for export – including textiles – tops the priority list, said Uribe. The president met with textile producers to discuss the country’s growing clothing manufacturing industry and the effects of the FTA with the US, as well as new challenges such as competition from China.

Uribe also met with environmental leaders who oppose to the construction of the highway this month and discussed the project.

The government’s position is that it would be easier for authorities to look after El Darién environmental sanctuary if the highway existed than without it, he said, adding that it would allow the access of tourists, the scientific community and other people interested in protecting the environment.

ENERGETIC INTEGRATION

Colombia has taken a number of steps to work along with Venezuela to advance on energetic integration throughout South America, said Uribe.

“We are also building a third pipeline to Ecuador, which is under construction. Ecuador is already connected with Peru,” he said. “Today, we are capable of sending or receiving energy from Peru through this interconnection, which we are reinforcing,” he added.

“We want to support the total integration of the South American energetic ring, and this subject will be one of the topics included in the bilateral agenda of our meeting with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, to be held on July 27 in Lima,” said Uribe.

With the leadership of both Peruvian President-elect Alan García and Bachelet, Colombia aims to reach an agreement between the Andean community and Chile, he said. This will not only benefit regional integration, but will also bolster negotiations between the continent and third parties such as the European Union, he added.

Uribe was talking on the sidelines of activities taking place during the fashion week of ColombiaModa.

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