Asunción, October 26 (Prensa Latina) Paraguayan President Santiago Peña today regretted the postponement of a summit scheduled for today with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant operated by both states.
The president confirmed in a press conference after returning from a work trip to the United States that both governments had postponed this Thursday’s summit, which would be the first between Peña and Lula, to a date to be agreed between the foreign ministers of the two countries .
Asunción announced on Sunday that, to attend the summit, Peña would return via Brasilia on the same day of the meeting, after completing his current trip through the United States, where he completed a work program from October 22 to 26.
The summit between the authorities of the two nations is in response to a clause in the treaty on the Itaipu Binacional update of Annex C this year, which sets out Itaipu’s financial bases and the provision of electricity services to the two countries.
The meeting in Brasilia would be attended by power plant representatives from the main organizations of both countries: for Paraguay, the National Electricity Administration; and for Brazil, the Brazilian Society for Nuclear and Binational Energy Participation.
Peña, who allowed five questions from as many media outlets in today’s press conference, also alluded to the demand for an answer from 187 former employees of the Paraguayan side of Itaipú who were fired by the government weeks ago.
“We have received several complaints – he said in this context – that regulations have been changed. I’m very sorry, among the 187 there are very dedicated people, but among those who couldn’t get jobs there are people who demand a fair trial. “We also have to listen to the grief of other families.”
The governor confirmed that Itaipú will again call for competition to recruit other employees and “all these people will be able to present themselves again, because just like the 187 registered (who were later dismissed), there are also 17,000 who are waiting to apply.” Justice in the competition of the opposition.”
rgh/apb