The year of 2007 will be one of strengthening relationships between the United States and Latin America, according to the North American undersecretary of State for political affairs, Nicholas Burns. During an interview given to Diplomacia, on TV Senado, he defended the cooperation with Brazil concerning the alternative fuels area, remarked democracy consolidation in the Americas and announced his country’s interest in building a “positive agenda” to the region.

The United States and Brazil are responsible for about 70% of the biofuels global market, according to the undersecretary, who visited Brasília and São Paulo a few days ago. Both countries, in his opinion, are able to cooperate with each other in research and development, in order to search a more efficient ethanol production, as well as creating a global market for the product – with benefits to both economies.

When it comes to the political situation of the region, the undersecretary reminded that there were 13 elections in the Americas in 2006. And in “nearly all cases”, he remarked, there was a trend towards the preservation of democracy. In his opinion, the only exception would be Venezuela, where president Hugo Chávez’s actions would be affecting the democratic regime. According to him, the Venezuelan leader is “isolated” and is not a “defining voice” in South America.

- Chávez is not in our radar screen. We could seat every day, in Washington, and be obsessed about him, or try to make a positive agenda with our friends. That’s what we’re doing, and that’s why we have found it important to be partners with Brazil – said Burns.

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