CÚPULA DA AMÉRICA LATINA E DO CARIBE SOBRE ... - Funag

CÚPULA DA AMÉRICA LATINA E DO CARIBE SOBRE INTEGRAÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO - CALC
sovereign integration of our regional bloc. I believe it is of seminal significance
that this awareness is now flowering among us.
I would like to tell you that in the remarks of colleagues I often detect
anxiety because we learned in school and then in politics that the meetings of
other blocs, the G8, for instance, or the G however many, are different, more
advanced, than ours. This is not true. Every multi-nation meeting is the same.
I have had the opportunity to participate in the G8, along with Mexico, along
with India, with China, with South Africa, and the truth is I believe their
discussions are more limited than ours, far m ore limited. One of the things
that has struck me, and I believe this can serve us well, is the level of
consciousness on our continent.
My friend Chávez, the first time I went to Evian, in 2003, at the invitation
of President Chirac, I arrived with Celso Amorim and Marco Aurélio to the
Palace where the G8 meeting was to be held. I arrived and there was the
Prince of Saudi Arabia, Tony Blair, everyone. Everyone was seated and
remained seated, I entered, greeted everyone and sat at a table and, suddenly,
President Bush came in and everyone stood up and there was I with Celso
and Kofi Annan, and I said: “we will not stand.” We would not stand for one
simple reason, because I believe that often times subservience, by many in
politics results in others not receiving the proper treatment and respect. And,
you know, we did not stand up and Bush came over and greeted me, Celso,
and Kofi Annan, without any problems. In others, no one needed to pay
special deference.
I say this, because I am reminded of the establishment of the G20 in
2003. After the meeting in Cancun, many countries that had participated were
pressured and did not attend the following meeting. And I sometimes get the
impression, I don’t know if everyone here knows what a pod silk is. Anyway,
a small hole will suddenly appear in the pod and out comes a butterfly, which
then takes flight and disappears. I feel we are learning the importance on our
continent of maintaining relations with all countries, of forging solid policies
toward all countries, and recognizing that subservience does not help countries
grow, under any circumstances.
For a century or almost a century, almost every country on the Latin
American continent, with the exception of Cuba, competed to see who was
closest to the American president. An entire century, not a day. In other words
everybody believed it was of utmost political importance to be invited by the
United States. What is happening today? No one is denying the importance
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