CHAVEZ AND PLAN COLOMBIA SHAKE UP SOUTH AMERICAN SUMMIT BEFORE IT STARTS

"Latin America Undertakes an Audacious Attempt at Integration," read the headline in Chile's El Mercurio newspaper on August 31, the first day of the "historic" South American Presidential Summit. In the rest of the South American press, however, most titulares focused on the Plan Colombia and its potential effects on the rest of the region. Envisioned months ago as an invitation to celebrate 500 years of the European discovery of Brazil, the summit has in the last few weeks focused increasingly on security concerns and the role of the US in Latin America.

Even before the arrival of the other leaders, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez made controversial remarks that threatened to disrupt the meeting before it even started. Chávez urged Chile to restore Bolivia's access to the sea, a recommendation that Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear rejected as interventionist. Like Colombia, which rejected Chávez's offer to "mediate" the conflict in that country, Chile dismissed the need for Venezuela's interjection into its affairs. Chávez reiterated his desire to mediate the conflict in Colombia at a press conference in Brasília on August 30.

Early reports from Brasília indicate that the Venezuelan president plans to bring other difficult themes to the table. Argentine and Colombian newspapers expressed concern about Chávez's remarks concerning the "Vietnamization" of the region to argue against the use of military force in Colombia. His call for a negotiated solution has been seen as an attempt to sabotage Colombian President Andrés Pastrana's efforts to gain support for Plan Colombia from his colleagues. It also could complicate Brazil's intention to present a plan to isolate the conflict in Colombia by reinforcing neighboring countries' frontiers.

Chávez's media barrage has made other presidential delegations nervous. In his initial contacts with the press in Brasília, he stated his desire for a South Atlantic Military Alliance to "relaunch the idea of the military in South America." The Caracas daily El Universal also quoted him as dismissing the need for a democracy clause as part of the final summit declaration. "Representative democracy doesn't work in these latitudes," he argued. Instead, he called for a more participative system with more options for collective expression within the political system.

The South American summit seems to have taken on a dynamic of its own. Chávez has made it clear that he will not keep silent as Brazil attempts to speak for the region. It remains to be seen how his comments will contribute to the goals of greater integration and unity in South America.