>Puebla Panama agreement due to be inked mid-April - Central America,Mexico >Wednesday, March 27, 2002 12:19 (GMT-0300) Mexico and the seven countries >of Central America are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding >mid-April for the Plan Puebla Panama (PPP) road integration project, said >PPP director Constantino Urcuyo. >Once each country's PPP commission signs the agreement, and it receives >the respective presidential endorsements, funding from the Inter-American >Development Bank (IDB) would become available immediately, he told BNamericas. >The memorandum covers the legal, institutional and regulatory and >operational framework for the PPP's execution. >The three-part plan includes 3,000km of feeder roads, of which 2,000km >would be upgraded, requiring some US$2bn. Of that amount US$155mn is >already in place, with US$622mn to come from the private sector, US$312mn >>from the countries' own resources and the rest from multilateral agencies >such as US$200mn from the IDB. >Urcuyo said interest has also come from the Central American Bank for >Economic Integration, the World Bank, Japan Bank for International >Cooperation and the Andean Development Corporation. >The other two components of the plan are the Pacific and Atlantic >integration corridors, the former linking Central America with southern >Mexico and the latter connecting Caribbean coastal areas. >All three components comprise a total of 8,000km of roads, including >5,000km of upgrades, at a cost of US$3.66bn. Of that US$270mn is already >in place, with the private sector estimated to put up US$868mn, the IDB >US$700mn and local sources the remainder. >The plan is designed to overcome the region's vulnerability to natural >disasters and bridge a long-standing infrastructure deficit that impedes >these countries' ability to profit from their proximity to large foreign >markets. >PPP was born from the Central America Logistical Corridor report carried >out by Harvard University over a five-year period, which also covers ports >and airports. However Urcuyo explained that the PPP commissioners decided >on an autonomous road integration plan rather risk being caught up in >complications involved with trade unions in the case of ports and existing >private sector initiatives in the case of airports. >He agreed the 2002-2006 implementation schedule may seem optimistic >considering the scope of the works program, "but if you say eight years it >will take 10." >By James Attwood >BNamericas.com > > > > >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >Monti Aguirre >Latin American Campaigns >International Rivers Network
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