UN General Assembly
2004

two major protagonists: the Andean Community, of which we are a member, and the Southern Common Market, of which we are an associate member. At first, we were a “hinge” country, but we are now in the process of integration that will gradually encompass a large bloc of South American nations, which we welcome and towards which we are striving. In that context of coordination and integration, Bolivia holds a key play in any process of infrastructure development. In energy, Bolivia is a country that can serve as South America’s energy distribution hub. In telecommunications — fibre optics in particular — and, of course, in highway infrastructure, we are vital and must be an actor that facilitates rather than obstructs. I wish to share a thought here with such multilateral entities as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other organizations that are cooperating with Bolivia and other developing countries. Because of its revenues and high level of debt, Bolivia has been considered to be a heavily indebted poor country. In theory, that has given it a series of