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• 10 / 07 / 2008

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In statements to local media during a recess of the meeting of foreign ministers to prepare the Summit, Perez Roque stressed that it would be a historic event.

It will be the first time the presidents of all 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries will meet, he told reporters at the Marriott Hotel, in Copacabana.

The head of Cuban diplomacy said it was a paradox that Latin American and Caribbean leaders met for the first time, because they had met so far with other regional interlocutors.

"We hope the objective will be the beginning of a process that will not conclude at the Summit, but that will start from there. A process towards unity, integration and cooperation among Latin American and Caribbean countries," Perez Roque pointed out.

He added that he is also looking forward to the creation of a future mechanism of new summits and agreements that should be followed up, as well as a final declaration to establish the framework and principles for unity and integration.

"Late, but at last, we will make Jose Marti, Simon Bolivar and other national heroes' dreams of building unity come true," he commented.

"We have huge prospects, we are nearly 500 million people, a Gross Domestic Product of around three billion, natural and energy resources, and people with similar cultures and idiosyncrasies," Perez Roque pointed out.

"What should bring us together is not the past, but the future, the risks and the common challenges that we all are facing," the Cuban foreign minister said.

"Cuba welcomes that initiative and gets ready to participate in it with all its strength and seriousness," Perez Roque stated.

(PL)