Foz do Iguaçu (PR), August 18, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Saturday (16), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Plant is an example of successful cooperation between two countries and should serve as a model for integration in the Mercosur.
The President calls for a joint effort by all heads of State to turn talk of South American integration into reality. "I don't believe in isolated solutions for any South American country. Either we think together, or Latin America will pass another century as a poor region in which millions of people don't even have enough to eat," he affirmed.
For Lula, good relations among South American countries are fundamental for more balanced negotiations in the international sphere. He recalled that for a long time the nations of South America believed that the solutions to their problems lay in closer relations with more developed countries, such as Europe, the United States, and Japan. "It's true that they made a contribution, but it's also true that we failed to build the infrastructure necessary to assure the objective integration of the continent," he affirmed.
The physical integration of South America, through investments in infrastructure, was another of the steps that the Brazilian President called for. Lula announced that he will meet again "shortly" with the President of Paraguay, Nicanor Duarte, to inaugurate the second bridge linking the two countries. This project will reduce transportation costs and expedite the commercialization of production.
On Saturday (16), in Foz do Iguaçu, the Presidents of Brazil, Paraguay, and Ecuador attended the installation of a stator, the main component of one of the two turbines under construction at the Itaipu plant. The plant's last two turbines will commence operations in the first half of 2004 and will increase the company's generating capacity from 12,600 to 14,000 megawatts. The Itaipu plant currently functions with 18 turbines and meets 25% of Brazil's energy demand and 95% of Paraguay's.
As the most experienced head of State present at the ceremony, President Lula gave some advice to the Paraguayan President, Nicanor Duarte, who took office on Friday (15).
"Some things are not as wonderful as we imagined, and, often, economic circumstances are worse than what we criticized during the electoral campaign. The hope that your election has awakened among the people of Paraguay obliges you, even when things are at their worst, not to abandon your faith in carrying out everything you promised during your campaign." Lula said.
During Saturday's ceremony, the governments of Brazil and Paraguay signed an agreement to benefit 600 needy families through the School-Grant program, 300 from the Brazilian side and 300 from Ciudad Del Este, on the Paraguayan side.
The money for the grants will be transferred through the Itaipu Binational Company. Each family will receive up to R$ 75 per month, provided that their children remain in school. In addition, parents and children will receive care from Itaipu's medical and odontological assistance programs.
At the hydroelectric plant's scenic belvedere, President Lula and the first lady, Marisa Letícia, planted a purple ipê (calabash) tree, the symbol of the Foz do Iguaçu. (DAS)
