Brasília, December 6, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - During a meeting of the Mercosur Summit today, at the Itamaraty Palace, president Fernando Henrique Cardoso affirmed that the dream of intellectuals in the '50's, of uniting the Mercosur countries, is a reality. "It was a distant dream. Today the dream of free movement among the nations of South America has taken shape and shows how much we have progressed."

Cardoso pointed out that the Mercosur still faces challenges, among which are economic growth, investments, and union with the Andean bloc. Cardoso recalled that, on various occasions, the president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said that he will treat Mercosur with the heart. In Cardoso's view, it is also necessary to treat it with the mind. In his speech he reaffirmed that Brazil will not change its stance in economic, political, and social relations with the Mercosur. (DAS)