URUGUAY: Latin American leaders arrive in Montevideo and Spain PM Zapatero holds news conference ahead of Ibero-American summit

Record ID: 351838

  • Title: URUGUAY: Latin American leaders arrive in Montevideo and Spain PM Zapatero holds news conference ahead of Ibero-American summit
  • Date: 4th November 2006
  • Summary: (BN13) MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY (NOVEMBER 3, 2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE RIVER COAST VARIOUS OF SECURITY ON THE COAST VARIOUS OF SECURITY IN THE CITY CENTRE, POLICE WITH DOGS CHECKING VEHICLES MAN DRINKING MATE (HERBAL TEA) IN THE STREET VARIOUS OF NEWSPAPER HEADLINES REFERRING TO THE CONFERENCE AND THE CONFLICT WITH ARGENTINA
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Uruguay
  • Country: Uruguay
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA5ZUOFNG58NAVULOBQHO9065LP
  • Story Text: The Ibero American Conference of Nations continued on Friday (November 3) with conflicts between the various attending countries, particularly between the Uruguayan hosts and their Argentinean neighbours taking centre stage.
    The Ibero American Conference of Nations brings together representatives of 21 Ibero-American countries - including Portugal, Spain and all the Hispano-Luso-American nations - with a total population of over 489 million.
    King Juan Carlos from Spain and the Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero were some of the latest arrivals. They touched down amongst tight security the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
    Security was on the conference agenda, too, as Zapatero accompanied by his Foreign Minister Angel Moratinos announced a new Spanish role in achieving peace and security.
    "It's about an important support base for peace operations and information technology structures and communication with the United Nations. We have communicated this decision to the secretary General of the United Nations and it constitutes a new and relevant demonstration of Spanish commitment to effective multilateralism and of the confidence that the United Nations has in Spain too develop and maintain global peace and security," he told reporters at a press conference.
    The U.N. has chosen Spain to set up a centre to support peace operations near Valencia airport in Spain. 12 million Euros will be invested and this will create 1000 jobs.
    Nevertheless this announcement was somewhat overshadowed by the atmosphere that has been created by the Argentinian-Uruguayan border dispute based on Uruguay's intention to build two more paper mills on the Rio de Plata.
    Zapatero felt obliged to comment on the issue.
    "In relation to the concrete question (about the paper factory dispute), I will always, always opt for understanding, dialogue and understanding and in this case between Uruguay and Argentina, and of course Spain favours an understanding as far as possible. Throughout this summit, without a doubt, we will be speaking about this issue, at one point or another," he said.
    But despite his conciliatory talk, there are fears that talks will stalemate because of such intracontinental differences. Land-locked Bolivia renewed calls to obtain access to the ocean, a right it says Chile took away from it in the 19th century.
    Meanwhile Chile rattled both Venezuela and Guatemala when is refused to vote for either of them to the United Nations Security Council seat, instead saying it was in support of a the search for a different candidate.
    It is hoped that the conference will take forward actions on the themes of migration, poverty and development, as well as the review of agreements made at previous summits, the latest of was in Salamanca, Spain last year.
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