Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean have agreed on the need for greater regional unity during the first of a two-day meeting held in Brazil.

Hosting president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said the summit meant that for the first time, the region was "uniting its voices as one."

The meetings, which began with the Mercosur summit, included a visit by Cuban President Raul Castro during his first major international summit as leader of the country.

The Cuban leader spoke of the need for a united Latin America and the potential results this could bring.

"Fifteen years ago, in the city of Salvador de Bahia, the capital of this state, our comrade Fidel Castro, expressed the need for integration among our nations. Allow me to end this meeting by remembering his words when he said 'yesterday we were a colony, tomorrow we could be a great community of tightly knit people."

Tuesday's official session concluded with Cuba being formally introduced into the Rio Group.

During a news conference, Bolivian President Evo Morales, long at odds with the administration of US President George W. Bush, said he hopes US president elect Barack Obama can ease the economic and political friction between the U.S. and Latin American nations.

The Rio Group was formed in 1986 to help end armed conflict in Central America.