SOUTH AMERICAN UNION CHIEF PLEDGES TO ENHANCE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Georgetown, May 10 (Xinjua)- The recently appointed chief of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), former Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Mejia, said on Monday that it is a top priority for the coming year for UNASUR to work on regional development issues.

This development should be undertaken in "a climate of respect" for different political ideologies which today has "blinded" the work for finding common ground, Mejia told local daily El Tiempo. She was elected secretary-general of the regional grouping in March.

"In each and every one of the presidents who I have met with, I have seen a very sincere desire to work for what really unites us in a way that can positively effect the development of the region," she said.

"We cannot talk about individual agendas within a Unasur that has a very rich agenda," she said, adding that issues of importance vary greatly from matters of the countries' financial situation to environmental matters for a block with a combined population of 395 million people.

She said her first task will be to concentrate efforts to put issues on the agenda that will have a clear benefit for all the region's citizens, such as adopting measures that will allow for the free movement of member citizens within the countries of the block.

This would also help the reintegration process of Unasur, said Mejia.

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