LIMA, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Officials of six South American countries gathered in Bolivia on Thursday for a two-day meeting aimed at seeking cooperative approaches to potential threats posed by bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease, local media reported.

    "We're recognizing the need to have effective mechanisms in place ... not just signing agreements that no one respects," Agriculture Minister Gustavo Ruiz of Paraguay said.

    While no cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu have been reported in the Americas, representatives from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay said they wanted to be prepared to detect and isolate cases if they did appear.

    The officials said that they needed a common front to tackle illnesses carried by animals that can quickly move across borders.

    Meanwhile, the foot-and-mouth fever is an urgent problem for Brazil which has suffered import bans after outbreaks were reported in the north of the country.

    In October, Brazil reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease near the country's border with Paraguay. The outbreak has hurt Brazil's huge cattle industry as more than 45 countries imposed partial or total bans on Brazilian beef. Enditem