QUINTANA ROO (MEXICO), Feb 20 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Bringing forward Latin American and Caribbean integration will be one of the key topics during the so-called Unity Summit, to take place in Cancun in the Mexican Mayan Riviera.

Heads of State and Government, and top level delegations will meet February 22-23 in that tourist destination of Quintana Roo state, where the Rio Group and the Latin American Summit on Integration and Development (CALC) will converge.

“It is a very important event intended to coordinate a work agenda for the region”, Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa declared. Experts are working since Thursday in the documents to be presented to the ministers and Heads of State on the weekend for its discussion and later approval.

According to Salvador Beltran, the ministry’s under secretary for Latin America, the countries agree it is the moment to advance towards greater unity, though there are still some differences as to the name of the future organization.

Several regional leaders proposed the idea of creating an entity excluding the US and Canada, given the need of a mechanism that meets the peoples’ expectations and preserves their independence and identity.

Fostering integration and development without interference of extra-regional powers was among the objectives of the first CALC Summit in Brazil in December 2008.

The challenge of combining efforts and laying bridges among regional nations, despite diversity, will guarantee the meeting’s success, Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva said on that occasion. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA

• HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN CHILEAN REGION
• WORLD ORGANIZATION DEMANDS OBAMA TO FREE CUBAN FIVE
• DEATH TOLL FROM BUILDING COLLAPSE RISES TO 17 IN PAKISTAN
• HILDHOOD OBESITY IN MONTSERRAT AN EMERGING PROBLEM
• KIDNAPPED IRANIAN PILGRIMS FREED IN SYRIA