Peruvian President Alan Garcia on Monday reiterated his proposal to establish a peace, security and cooperation protocol that promotes transparency and accountability in military spending in South America.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day seminar on the topic, Garcia condemned plans of some member countries of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) to spend 59 billion dollars on new weapons.
The Peruvian leader pointed out that since the foundation of Unasur, countries in the region have spent 125 billion dollars on defense and security and US$25 billion on new military equipment.
He recalled that at that time countries were expected to order an additional US$35 million worth of weapons over the next five years; "however, the reality is that since 2009 Unasur countries have plans to spend US$59 billion on new purchases."
On Monday morning, President Alan Garcia opened a seminar entitled "Peace, Security and Development in Latin America" at the Foreign Ministry's headquarters in downtown Lima.
The event was attended by Apostolic Nuncio Bruno Musaro, Lima's Cardinal Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani, and Mons. Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences.
