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August 23, 2005

El Diario Exterior - Original Article (Spanish)

Paraguay and the United States will in the future have much closer ties, which are supposed to include much more intimate cooperation between the two governments.

President Frutos; Vice President Castiglioni

South America, with Paraguay Highlighted

Yesterday, in an extensive interview, the vice president of the Republic, Luis Castiglioni, admitted indirectly that an agreement with Washington had already been reached, and that the arrangements had been confirmed during last week’s visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "We have showed our firm intention to make the region much safer, much more stable, and much stronger democratically. They [Washington] have made the decision to fortify relations with us because they say this government could be a good example of stability, development and prosperity for the region. For the first time, we are speaking on an equal to equal basis, in dignity country to country, and are speaking for the first time with a country that wants not only a friend, but a partner for many kinds of economic development," Castiglioni said.

Apparently the situation of hostility toward the U.S. in several countries of the region has culminated in a crisis that has obliged Washington to look again for a regional ally. It had opted for the government of [Paraguayan President] Nicanor Duarte Frutos, since relations with Argentina, Washington's last "key" ally, took a dive with the exit of Carlos Menem as the President of the Republic in 1998.

This was admitted by the vice president himself, who said that Secretary Rumsfeld was worried about the situation in the zone. "... We also spoke of countries closer to us in the region; they (the Americans) are quite worried about the instability of governments like Ecuador, that is on its seventh president in nine years, or Bolivia, which remains unstable, and the same with Brazil, which at the moment is experiencing great political upheaval.

"In comparison, Paraguay is an area where one sees strong political stability, governability and institutional strength. We made these changes out of the need to fortify Paraguay’s democratic institutions so that our country’s political process could radiate stability. We have agreed to build a more secure Paraguay and a more secure continent, and if the United States cooperates with us, we will have more internal security, more security on our borders, in our airspace, and will contribute greatly to our region and to a safer continent,” he insisted.