South American Leaders
To Meet In New York Over
Bolivian Political
Crisis
SANTIAGO - Chilean
President Michelle
Bachelet has called a
fresh summit of the
Union of South American
Nations (Unasur) in New
York, the Chilean
Foreign Ministry said on
Monday.
The summit, to be held
on Wednesday at the UN
headquarters, will be
attended by most of the
12 presidents from
Unasur member countries,
with the exception of
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez, who is now
on a tour which includes
China and Portugal.
The aim of the summit is
to find ways to resolve
the political crisis in
Bolivia. Among the
topics to be discussed
at the summit is a
preliminary report on
the dialogue between
Bolivian President Evo
Morales and the
opposition.
Bachelet, as the
temporary president of
Unasur, will also
discuss with her
colleagues the creation
of a dialogue
commission.
The commission will be
led by Chilean diplomat
Juan Gabriel Valdes, who
will also attend the
summit.
Valdes told a local
Chilean radio station
Monday that he was glad
that the opposition and
the government had shown
their willingness to
reach an agreement and
to rebuild trust, adding
that the process to
reach peace might take
longer.
"Obviously there are
problems, but I think
that nobody is
questioning ...the
territorial integrity of
the country," Valdes
added.
Bachelet traveled Monday
night to New York where
she will fulfill an
intense agenda of
bilateral meetings,
besides the Unasur
summit, one of them with
Morales.
Last week, the Unasur
members in Santiago,
during the bloc's first
extraordinary summit on
the Bolivian political
crisis, gave wide
support to the
government of Bolivian
President Evo Morales
and said they will not
allow a coupe and the
use of violence in that
country.
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