Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias says neoliberal policies are killing Andean Community

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

During his trip to Paraguay to attend the Southern Cone Economic Community (Mercosur) as a guest, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has cast doubts on the Andean Community (CAN) capacity to advance and has once again criticized the US Free Trade for the Americas Agreement (FTAA).  

Venezuela has applied to enter Mercosur ... President Chavez Frias has said  that Venezuela is Mercosur's route to the Caribbean. 

Mercosur Presidents  ended a three day meeting reaffirming their intention to strengthen Mercosur and its ties with CAN ... improve a common foreign tariff policy and raise a " physical structure that will put some flesh on the integration effort" ... another important factor emerging from the meeting was a clear intention to move the Mercosur economic community towards a political union. 

President Chavez Frias has angered opponents in Venezuela and CAN Heads of State, stating that CAN is moribund because of its heavy reliance on neoliberal policies  .... "Mercosur is emerging more and more as a forum to debate ideas and contrasts." 

Chavez Frias warns that if the CAN does not insist on political union, then the market will dominate CAN ... politics should take the lead with economics in the rearguard."