Latin American Parliament Session Begins in Venezuela

Caracas -  Representatives of 23 member nations of the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) were meeting on Saturday to discuss regional integration.

The agenda included debates on efforts to make PARLATINO the legislative branch of the Community of Caribbean and Latin American States (CELAC), said Rodrigo Cabezas, president of the PARLATINO Venezuelan Group and host of the forum.

The PARLATINO is expected to play an important role in regional integration as part of the CELAC bloc.

The bloc was set to be officially founded in a July 5-6 meeting, but that was postponed due to the fact that President Hugo Chavez is recovering from surgery, Cabezas said.

In Havana, Chavez, who underwent an emergency operation, said he regretted the meeting��s postponement, but reaffirmed it would be held this year.

The CELAC will include 33 nations in the region and will exclude the United States and Canada.