Rome, Italy, April 30 (SP). “Thank you very much, President Berlusconi for your hospitality, for your support to Colombia. For our Government it is very important to have this meeting with you, in this visit to the His Holiness. We always have something to learn from you.

I want to thank you. Some day I called you, when you were leading the European Union, to ask for your support in the agreement between the Andean Community and the European Community. That agreement is been negotiated today. You have helped us in one of the most important issues to preserve our Colombian tropical forest, 51% of Colombia’s territory is rain forest. The preservation of this jungle is Colombia’s main contribution to fight global warming.

That is why we have the Forest Guardian Families Program, to avoid Colombian families to grow illegal drugs. And instead of that they take care of the tropical forest, and we pay them for that job. Italy has helped us; its government has helped us.

Thank you very much President Berlusconi. Your presence in the G-8, your presence in the G-20, in the G-21, it is very important for Colombia.

We want to keep this dialogue with you, because we all have worries about this economic crisis.

Colombia is a country that has recovered investment, but there are questions about what can happen to investment in the world, due to this crisis of the economy.

And we need your collaboration. You are a leader who understands why countries need security, why countries need investment trust.

I want to express to the press, a very respectful greet to Italian journalist. And I want to let you know, especially to the Colombian journalist who made the effort to come here, that Prime Minister Berlusconi is very enthusiastic about promoting Italian investment in Colombia.

We have talked about infrastructure, tourism, bio-fuels, and President Berlusconi have communicated us that our Ambassador Sabas Pretelt can arrange some investment missions to Colombia, to look some specific projects, and that is what we are going to do.

We also are grateful for the way they have helped us with that ship with medical assistance in the Pacific. And now, they are also thinking about a ship with medical assistance in the Caribbean.

Thank you for the support that you have given to our Ambassador Sabas Pretelt in that campaign called “Life without drugs”. A beautiful campaign great to keep young people away from drugs, to let the world to know all the things that Colombia is, to show positive things. Prime Minister Berlusconi has been an important support for this campaign.

And I also want to say to him, in public, what it was our first subject: our condolences to the Italian people, to the Government and to the Prime Minister for the earthquake. But I want to congratulate him for the practical and agile way that victims have been rescued. It is a great example for a country as Colombia, which suffers from floods and other nature problems.

Thank you very much President Berlusconi.

From the beginning of our Government, we found a great support in you for our Security Policy, a support without doubting, decisive. A great support to our investment promotion policy, to allow Colombians to fight poverty and build equity.

You are going to visit Colombia, ¡What a good thing to have you there! But before we want ç one or two investment missions to go, to look specific projects in Colombia.

We have told you, that one of these projects is the route that we are going to build between Bogotá and Santa Marta “La Ruta del Sol. A thousand kilometers, a route already in good conditions, and we would like Italian companies to tender, which has divided those 1000 km in three stages.

The help form a leader who understands security, who understands investment, the help form the President of Italy is a very important help for Colombia.