CARACAS 6 Sep 2010 Venezuela hosts foreign ministers of new CELAC bloc

The main business of the 33 foreign ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is fine-tuning the agenda for the Jul 2011 summit of the bloc, when it will be inaugurated formally. The goals of CELAC, which groups all the countries of the Americas except the United States and Canada, are to tighten trade and institutional cooperation in the region in line with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's so-called "Plan Caracas."

Since his election over 11 years ago, Chavez has been a strong proponent of regional integration and unity and an opponent of what he terms "U.S. imperialism."

Venezuela and Chile have been charged with drafting the statutes of the new bloc, which was founded on 23 Feb 2010 in Mexico, and with co-chairing the group and hosting its summits in 2011 and 2012,

Venezuela describes the founding of CELAC as part of the continued emancipation of the region. Once formalized, it is expected to function parallel to the Organization of American States (OAS), a bloc that includes the United States and Canada.

The charter aims to address the inequality of wealth in the CELAC region. A central concept is that multilateral trade should not be dominated by any one country. According to the proposal, economic, financial, and technological cooperation should be promoted among already existing regional integration organizations. The charter lists the Common Market of the South, the Community of Andean Nations, the Caribbean Community and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. (Last updated Aug 2010)

RELATED READING:

France, Chile to head new Latin American bloc (AFP/France24 4 Jul 2010)
http://www.france24.com/en/20100704-venezuela-chile-head-new-latin-american-bloc

33 Latin and Caribbean Nations Finalize Plans for New Economic Bloc (Argentina Indep. 3 Jul 2010)
http://www.argentinaindependent.com/tag/celac/