Bolivian president urges preparation for G77+China summit

Bolivian President Evo Morales Tuesday urged local officials in the eastern city of Santa Cruz to speed up preparation for the G77+China summit to be held in June. At a press conference in the presidential palace of Quemado, in La Paz, Morales said this year's summit on June 14 and 15 will mark the 50th anniversary of the G77, which campaigns for the interests of developing countries within the United Nations system. Morales called on the governor of Santa Cruz state, Ruben Costas, and the mayor of Santa Cruz, Percy Fernandez, both members of the opposition, as well as other officials, to participate in the organization of the summit. "I am inviting the governor and mayor of Santa Cruz, plus the assistant ambassador of Bolivia at the United Nations, to an emergency meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. to see how we organize and mobilize," said the president. "We have a short time and it is an enormous responsibility. We have to guarantee the presence of delegations from five continents at this commemorative meeting," he added. Bolivia has the capacity not only to host the 133 member states of the G77+China summit, but also to propose social policies for reducing the wealth gap among developing countries, Morales said.