As Secretary General of UNASUR, Kirchner's first challenge was the restoration of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia. Also faced an attempted coup in Ecuador.

Former President Nestor Kirchner complex challenges faced during his brief tenure as head of the secretariat general of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the confrontation between Venezuela and Colombia and the attempted coup in Ecuador.

Kirchner took office integration forum on May 4 this year, during the extraordinary summit held in the locality of Los Cardales.

His candidacy was boosted by the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and had the support of Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with resistance in the Uruguayan government, which had vetoed Kirchner for the confl ict bilateral with Argentina over the Botnia pulp mill in Fray Bentos.

The Deputy won the approval of Montevideo José Mujica assuming the presidency of Uruguay, at a time when the UNASUR gave way to a South American Defence Council to adopt a Protocol on Peace, Security and Regional Cooperation.

Kirchner fi gure was key to solving the first major upheavals of the block, when Venezuela and Colombia broke diplomatic relations on July 23 as a result of the termination of the government of Alvaro Uribe in the presence of FARC guerrillas in Venezuelan territory with the alleged Chavez's consent.

The escalation of the confl ict forced him to travel first month after Caracas, where he met with Chavez, and then to Bogota to defuse the situation with the newly assumed Juan Manuel Santos.

On September 30 of UNASUR was tested again, this time before the attempted coup in Ecua dor, and a quick call to the presidents Kirchner in Buenos Aires block allowed a strong signal to the governments of the region break against the institutional order.

In this extraordinary summit of October 1, Heads of State decided to adopt an Additional Protocol to the Treaty establishing the UNASUR to incorporate the "democratic clause."

The protocol will be firmed on 26 November in Guyana, which was to be the next appointment of Kirchner in front of the UNASUR