Assunción (Paraguay), June 18, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Today, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for the strengthening of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) to assure South American countries better living conditions and international competitiveness. The President reminded the participants at the XXIV Mercosur Summit Meeting that, even before he took office at the beginning of this year, he was already giving priority attention to the economic bloc. "It is the nucleus around which we think the so much hoped-for integration of South America should be carried forward," Lula emphasized.

He defended the consolidation of the Mercosur as a customs union allowing products from the four countries in the bloc to find markets on the continent, without restrictions. Just the customs union, however, is not sufficient. For Lula, the Mercosur has to become a real common market with an enlarged area for the prosperity of the populations of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Lula used the opportunity to recall that defense of the Mercosur is not his cause alone.

According to the President, the results of the elections in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay confirm the "clear option" made by these societies in favor of the economic bloc. The Mercosur is currently experiencing the best moment to recover its international credibility, he said. "From the economic point of view, with the recovery of external and domestic credibility by the Brazilian economy and the stabilization of the Argentinian economy, conditions are present for the resumption of growth in all the region," he emphasized. (DAS)