Foreign ministers from the membercountries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) will meet on Sept. 14 in the Brazilian city of Manaus to discuss the group's Strategic Plan 2004-2012, local press said Monday.

The meeting will be the first since the ACTO Permanent Secretariat was created in Brasilia 20 months ago.

The ACTO groups Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. Former Ecuadorian President Rosalia Arteaga is heading the Secretariat.

According to the group's Public Relations Office, the StrategicPlan will "respond to the challenges that the Amazon region faces in its sustainable development."

The plan will deal with issues, such as conservation and sustainable use of renewable natural resources, administration of knowledge and technology exchange, regional integration and competitiveness, and institutional strengthening.

This meeting will be a token of political support for the Amazon region's integration, and member countries will use the meeting to coordinate their public policies.

The ministers will also seek to establish financing mechanisms for the Permanent Secretariat.

Source: Xinhua