Unasur to remain on guard for threats to democracy

Secretary-General at the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) Ernesto Samper met today (Nov 10) with President Dilma Rousseff, and declared that the discussions on Unasur's political agenda, the importance given to the reduction of poverty and inequality in the region as well as competitiveness were the focus of the gathering. He said that Unasur is to remain active and on guard against threats to the democratic order in member countries.

“We've carried out historic actions to protect democracy in countries like Paraguay, Venezuela and Ecuador, so it will remain among Unasur's concerns,” he pointed out.

The secretary-general went on to say that South America must not target only poverty, but also inequality. “We're an unequal region. There's inequality of gender, labor—and our task is to find concrete formulas for reducing inequality.”

As regards competitiveness, Ernesto Samper said  that international infrastructure projects were among the topics discussed with the Brazilian president, adding that he noticed Brazil is very willing to put them into practice.

In Samper's view, Unasur should make it clear to South American populations that this partnership is not aimed at holding discussions alone, but also at taking action. He further said that Brazil plays a key role as a mediator for regional equilibrium.

The next Unasur meeting is slated for December 4 and 5, in Ecuador.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira