Dominican foreign minister pledges action against regional ills

New York.- Foreign minister Andrés Navarro on Thursday saidas pro tempore president of the Community Latin American and Caribbean Countries(CELAC), the Dominican Republic will promote political will and proactiveactions on all initiatives to deal with the many common issues affecting the organization’s33 countries.

Among the difficulties the diplomat cited the eradicationof poverty, food security, mass access to energy, sustainable development andclimate change.

Navarro addressed the delegates from CELAC countries in theUN, in the presence of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, to receive the CELAC revolvingpresidency.

"These challenges can truly represent tremendousopportunities for CELAC to achieve specific goals and consequently, the successof our common project," Navarro said.

He said his country, from the CELAC, will focus efforts todefend regional positions in all scenarios where necessary "and withenough energy,” would push to properly deal with them. “In the same manner wewill also press for our particular space serving to strengthen the voice of ourpeople in defending their desires even more."