Monterrey (Mexico), January 14, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Nuevo Leon Declaration, signed in Monterrey on Tuesday (13) by the 34 heads of State who are participating in the Special Summit of the Americas, contains various proposals presented by the Brazilian government. Outstanding among them are the implantation of unemployment insurance programs, a minimum income, and access to health services, especially for the treatment of Aids and tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

In a collective interview with members of the Brazilian press, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pointed out that this is the first time that a summit meeting of the Americas was convened to discuss the social development of Latin America. This was a pre-condition imposed by the Brazilian government for the holding of the meeting, which required the approval of all 34 countries in order to take place.

The President singled out the fight against corruption in public and private spheres as a relevant theme that appears in the final document. "Brazil insisted on the need to seek ways to recover resources lost by countries through corruption, as well as cooperating in the extradition of the guilty parties. This is the first time that recognition has been given in a document to the serious problem caused by corrupt and fraudulent practices in large enterprises, especially multinational corporations, with a negative impact on our economies," Lula affirmed.

He mentioned the role that the Pan-American Health Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) should play on behalf of Latin American countries. The Brazilian president emphasized the importance of bilateral encounters with Latin American countries to discuss pending issues between leaders.

ALCA

The paragraph that mentions the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) in the Nuevo Leon Declaration was kept as Brazil wanted. Only a generic reference was made to the economic bloc and the meeting held in Miami, in 2003, in which the countries backed an agreement on the structure and the timetable adopted to conclude the FTAA negotiations within previously established deadlines.

The document includes a reservation by Venezuela, which opposed the inclusion of this paragraph, because it disagreed with the principles proposed by the economic bloc and the timetable that was established.

The government leaders committed themselves to taking concrete steps prior to the next Summit of the Americas, set for 2005 in Argentina, where the presidents will use the opportunity to discuss the progress attained in the social area. The 34 countries pledged to take concrete steps, by 2008 at the latest, to promote the means necessary to attain the goal of reducing by at least half the average regional cost of transferring remittances between countries in the hemisphere.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Nuevo Leon Declaration asserts as a commitment for economic growth and the reduction of poverty, the implementation of consistent macroeconomic policies, more efficient monetary and fiscal policies, and exchange rate regimes appropriate for econonomic diversification and improved competitiveness. The governmental heads recognize that micro, small, and medium-sized firms constitute fundamental elements for economic growth, job creation, and the reduction of poverty in the countries of the continent.

The countries supported ease of access to credit and new technologies to reduce administrative expenses, and they vowed to adopt legal, normative, and institutional measures prior to the next Summit of the Americas in 2005 to simplify procedures and reduce the time and cost of constituting firms in each country of the region.

They reaffirmed a commitment to make progress on the Doha Agenda to benefit all economies, especially those of developing countries, as well as to provide support to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for it to triple its loans through programs on behalf of micro, small, and medium-sized firms by 2007.

TERRORISM

They also reiterated their commitment assumed in the Declaration of the Security of the Americas, approved at the Special Conference on Security in Mexico City in October, 2003, to combat all forms of transnational crime, such as illegal drug and arms trafficking and terrorism. The Special Summit of the Americas is the first meeting of heads of State since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

All the participants in the meeting joined in an appeal for countries to ratify the Inter-American Anti-Terrorism Convention and the 12 conventions and protocols of the United Nations. (DAS)