Foreign Ministers of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) met in Ecuador on Friday to mark the coming into force of the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty and discuss the appointment of a Secretary General.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press release, said the Treaty was signed in Brazil in May 2008 and required nine ratifications to come into force.
In a “highly celebratory atmosphere” in Quito Ecuador last Friday, President of the Republic of Ecuador Raphael Correa Delgado also laid the first stone for the permanent headquarters of UNASUR in the city of Mitad Del Mundo.
The headquarters will be named after the first UNASUR Secretary General Dr Nestor Kirchner, who passed away in September.
In the meeting following the celebrations, the Foreign Ministers welcomed the Treaty being put into force and urged the two remaining countries, Brazil and Paraguay, to ratify the Treaty as soon as possible.
As regard the appointment to fill the vacancy left by Kirchner, the meeting noted that there are two highly-qualified candidates, Dr Ali Rodrigues, former Energy Minister of Venezuela, and Ms Maria Emma Mejia, former Colombia Foreign Minister.
The meeting agreed by consensus to propose to the Heads of State and Government that the two candidates share the two-year term, with Mejia being appointed for the first year. Following the agreement by leaders, the appointment will be made.
The Council of Foreign Ministers, recognising the free movement of people as central to any integration mechanism, also examined the agreement for the exemption of visas and the use of Identification Cards, where possible, for movement within South America. Member states will provide the required specimen to the Depositary State, Brazil, after which the necessary internal processes will start.
The Foreign Ministers also expressed their solidarity with the government and people of Japan, following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the country on Friday.
They pledged to provide assistance, in keeping with the needs identified by the Japanese government.
