D E P DIPLOMACIA ESTRATÉGIA POLÍTICA Editor Carlos Henrique Cardim Correspondence address: Revista DEP P.O. Box 2431 Brasilia, DF – Brasil CEP 70842-970 [email protected] www.funag.gov.br/dep The DEP Diplomacy, Strategy & Politics Review is a three–monthly periodical on South American affairs published in Portuguese, Spanish and English. It comprises the Raul Prebisch Project and is sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations (MRE/Funag Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation), the National Economic & Social Development Bank (Bndes), Eletrobrás, Petrobrás, Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S. A. and Andrade Gutierrez S. A. International Cataloguing in Publication Data DEP: Diplomacy, Strategy & Politics / Raúl Prebisch Project no. 4 (april/june 2006). Brasília : Raúl Prebisch Project, 2006. Three–monthly Published in portuguese, spanish and english. ISSN 1808-0499 1. South America. 2. Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela. I. Raúl Prebisch Project. CDU 327(05) DDIPLOMACIA E ESTRATÉGIA POLÍTICAP Number 4 April / June 2006 Summary Objectives and challenges of Argentina’s foreign policy 5 Jorge Taiana Bolivia, a force for integration 16 Evo Morales The brazilian economy’s challenges and prospects 27 Paulo Skaf Program of government (2006-2010) 44 Michelle Bachelet The trap of bilateralism 66 Germán Umaña Mendoza The Amazonian Cooperation Treaty Organisation 84 (Acto): a constant challenge Rosalía Arteaga Serrano Guyana – linking Brazil with the Caribbean: 100 potential meets opportunity Peter R. Ramsaroop Eric M. Phillips Objectives and challenges of Argentina’s foreign policy Paraguay’s political crossroads 118 Pedro Fadul The great transformation 131 Ollanta Humala Suriname: macro-economic overview, challenges 151 and prospects André E. Telting Uruguay’s insertion into the world economy: 164 a political and strategic view Sergio Abreu “There is another world and it is in this one” 200 José Vicente Rangel Pedro Lira 226 Milan Ivelic 4 4 DIPLOMACY, STRATEGY & POLITICS – APRIL/JUNE 2006 Jorge Taiana Objectives and challenges of Argentina’s foreign policy Jorge Taiana * E ver since his inauguration on 25 May 2003, President Kirchner has promoted the restoration and reaffirmation of the principles on which Argentina’s foreign policy is historically based, though they may have been at times ignored by some constitutionally elected administrations and violated during military dictatorships. These fundamental principles include respect for and advancement of human rights and democracy, upholding international law and multilateralism, building consensus in the organizations established by the international community, non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other sovereign states, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Based on those principles, the Argentine Republic actively participates in international affairs, with the objective of contributing to building a safer, more stable and equitable world by way of seeking consensus that strengthen international law, democratic government rule, and the promotion of values associated to international peace and to the respect for human rights. * Minister of Foreign Relations, International Trade, and Worship of the Argentine Republic. [email protected] DIPLOMACY, STRATEGY & POLITICS – APRIL/JUNE 2006 5 Objectives and challenges of Argentina’s foreign policy Under the aegis of this conceptual framework, Argentina promotes its international insertion as a country that is open to the world – though in a realistic fashion that includes regional preferential policies, especially through the Mercosur platform –, and which that sets for itself flexible policies that are adequate to the circumstances of the international context. As we move along this road, strengthening our regional alliance also makes us stronger. It allows us to improve the insertion of our country in the world and to amplify our voice in the various multilateral fora. Multilateralism is considered by the Argentine government to be the most efficient tool to achieve international peace and security and to face challenges such as poverty, terrorism, corruption, the illicit drug trade, and transnational organized crime. It is against this background that Argentina’s permanent participation in the various international organizations and fora should be understood. This is, among many others, the case with our traditional participation as a non- permanent member in the UN Security Council – a status Argentina will hold this time until December 2006 –, the goal of which is to contribute to regional and global consensus building. In this context, it should be pointed out that during the March 2006 Argentine Presidency of the Security Council, we promoted an open debate on Haiti that engaged numerous actors that are involved in promoting the improvement of the social and political situation in that country. This Unsc meeting highlighted once again Argentina’s active participation in the pacification and institution-building process undertaken within the framework of the UN Mission for Haiti (Minustah), one of the Caribbean countries that is more seriously affected by poverty. The Unsc’s Minustah mandate includes humanitarian and social stabilization goals with a view to achieving the conditions for Haiti’s return to democratic rule. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay have played major roles in that mission and have served as witnesses of the free and transparent electoral voice of the Haitian people. It is worth mentioning that President-elect Préval has asked Argentina, Brazil, and Chile for cooperation beyond Minustah. This would involve policies aiming at strengthening democratic governability and at opening up the road to development. We have been pleased to see the high degree of solidarity there is among the region’s countries at times of political instability – 6 6 DIPLOMACY, STRATEGY & POLITICS – APRIL/JUNE 2006 Jorge Taiana either through cooperation initiatives or through good offices that respect the non-intervention principle. With respect to international security, Argentina maintains its permanent commitment to promote disarmament and non-proliferation in the relevant specialized international fora and organizations. Furthermore, as concerns the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, we are increasingly promoting and supporting exports by the Argentine nuclear sector, which is growing apace. Figthing terrorism is another major priority of Argentina’s foreign policy. At the UN, our country reiterated its firm attitude in the face of this scourge, classifying terrorism acts as criminal and unjustifiable. There is no racial, religious, ideological or any other reason that may justify the murder of innocent civilians. In order to face terrorism, it is of the essence to count on the commitment and the support of all nations, under the aegis of the observance of international law and human rights. For Argentina, promoting and protecting human rights has become both state policy at the domestic level and a permanent element of its foreign policy. Our country is an active participant in the international debate and in every substantive progress concerning these issues achieved at the various international fora. The government of President Kirchner is convinced that unqualified respect for human rights ensures the full implementation of democratic institutions and the rule of law, thus contributing to guaranteeing both international peace and security. Our government also attributes the utmost importance to fighting drug running and to preventing drug abuse, encouraging every regional and international initiative that contributes to prosecuting, controlling, and eliminating the illicit drug trade and preventing drug abuse. The principle of shared responsibility among producer, consumer, and transit countries is fully applied in this regard. It is a permanent and unwavering objective of our foreign policy to work towards recovering the exercise of full sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands, as well as over their surrounding maritime spaces, through a peaceful solution under international law that respects the way of life and the interests of the islands’ inhabitants. This permanent objective is a policy of the Argentine state and it reflects the collective yearning of the people of the Argentine nation. DIPLOMACY, STRATEGY & POLITICS – APRIL/JUNE 2006 7 Objectives and challenges of Argentina’s foreign policy Considering the premise that foreign policy is indissolubly united to the national project we intend to build, the Argentine government is fully committed to working with other nations in the fight against poverty and hunger as well as in the struggle to reform international financial organizations, to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to the products of lesser-developed countries, to pardon the external debt of the poorest countries or swap it for education, in the fight against terrorism and the struggle to stop the illicit trafficking of goods and persons. Therefore, Argentine intends to maintain serious, wide-ranging, and responsible relations with all countries in the international concert of Nations, which are based on the identification of our common interests and the respect for our differences. In every international forum, we reassert our determination not to relinquish our foreign-policy decision-making autonomy, and to actively and constructively engage our efforts towards a more democratic,