The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, said on Tuesday that unity between peoples of the South is the only way to confront the world financial crisis.

President Chávez made that statement from Salvador de Bahía, in Brazil, following the 36th Common Market of the South (Mercosur), where he indicated that South American countries have been underestimated by history, but the time for change has now come.

“Only unity will free us; that is why these meetings we are holding in Bahía [Brazil] are so important.  In this regard, we support these meetings because we cannot think about South American integration without the people,” noted Chávez.

“The people are the soul of the projects of a nation; consequently, we will advance to make integration a reality.  Now is the time for the liberation of South American nations,” added the President.

The Mercosur summit was followed by an extraordinary session of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur).  Following that meeting, 33 countries will take part in the Latin America and Caribbean summit that will focus on issues of development and integration.

Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias (ABN), Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Press Office / December 16, 2008