30/08/09
Cristina Fernández: Unasur must determine policy on presence of foreign bases

Bariloche, Argentina, 28th Aug. ABN.- This Friday, in Bariloche, Cristina Fernández, President of Argentina, issued a statement urging the member countries of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) to determine a uniform policy concerning the presence foreign forces in the region.

Fernández made her appeal in the special summit of Unasur, called to discuss, among other matters, the setting up of seven US military bases in Colombia.

According to the agency Prensa Latina, the President insisted that the approval of a policy of this type would make it possible not only to solve an immediate problem, but also any other similar situations that may occur in the future.

Similarly, she added, it would allow measures for verification and good faith to be put in place to ensure the sovereignty of each of the 12 member countries of the Union.

She underlined the importance of Friday’s meeting , and called for propositions to be made in a tone allowing the facts of the case to be covered, but without conflictive description or references.

The head of state considered that in this Friday’s meeting, two basic objectives need to be reached: firstly to keep South America as a peaceful region, where unilateral policies do not upset stability.

The second objective, she said, is to maintain the union of Unasur which has enabled procedures to be undertaken satisfactorily in tense situations.

By: Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, ABN