**Unasur, a new union of 12 South American nations, has picked former Argentinian President Nestor Kirchner as its first secretary-general.**The bloc was formed nearly two years ago to act as a counterpoint to regional organisations dominated by the United States.
But its goals of unity, development and democracy-building remain far off.
A Unasur headquarters planned for Ecuador and a parliament for Bolivia remain on the drawing-board.
Mr Kirchner, husband of current Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, was chosen unanimously at a Unasur summit in Caradales, near the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.
The former president, 60, recently underwent emergency surgery to remove a blockage in his carotid artery.
Unasur is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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