Heads of state and government from 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries will meet in Brazil to discuss regional integration, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
On Dec. 16-17, the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), the Rio Group, and the Latin America and the Caribbean countries (CALC), will hold summit meetings respectively in Costa de Sauipe, some 110 km north of Salvador de Bahia, northwest Brazil, the official agenda shows.
The Mercosur meeting will discuss measures against the international financial crisis and the creation of a fund for small and medium companies.
The Unasur will review the performance of the group during the political crisis in Bolivia. The leaders will also study the proposal of creating a South American council of defense and the election of its general secretary.
The Rio Group will make formal the entrance of Cuba into the group.
The CALC will study the impact of the international financial crisis on the region, in order to set a common position for the summit of the Americas in April 2009.
Besides the four summits, due to draw about 600 official delegates and 4,500 accredited personnel, according to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, some bilateral meetings are also expected to take place during the two days.
Meanwhile, the government of the state of Bahia said on Sunday that security measures at Sauipe Coast were reinforced. More than 2,200 men are deployed in the security operation set to start working on Monday, including militaries, federal policemen, firemen and agents of private security.
Inhabitants of nearby towns were told not to cross certain limits till Saturday, and local inhabitants would have to identify themselves to get into the area.
The aerial space of the region is controlled by radars and military helicopters, and the navy was also enlisted in the security operation.
The security also includes an anti-terrorism section and the control and command of all the communication systems.