Stories for December 16th 2003
Stigltiz: beware of FTAA
Economy Nobel Prize Joseph Stiglitz recommended Argentine president Nestor Kirchner not to subscribe the United States sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA, and praised the current Argentine sovereign debt negotiation process with creditors.
Kirchner, Latinamerican man of the year
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner was chosen Latinamerican Man of the Year by the influential Brazilian weekly magazine IstoE because, acting “without arrogance or chauvinism” he's dedicated to recovering the economy and self esteem of Argentine and Brazilian citizens.
ARA Irizar begins Antarctic season
Argentine Navy icebreaker “Almirante Irizar” sails from Buenos Aires this Monday to begin the “full” Antarctic 2003/2004 campaign.
Iraqi oil for Repsol-YPF
The Spanish Argentine oil company Repsol-YPF confirmed a contract to purchase oil from Iraq. This is Repsol-YPF's second contract since coalition forces ousted former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
Killing of US journalist in 1973 in Chile almost solved
A Santiago Court of Appeals upheld a ruling this Monday contrary to a former Chilean Air Force intelligence agent accused of participating in the 1973 murder of U.S. journalist Charles Horman, whose case inspired the film “Missing.”
EU extends preferential tariffs until 2005
The European Union Council of Ministers decided this Monday in Brussels to extend for another year, 2005, the preferential tariffs it grants to developing countries and which represent benefits for the Andean and Central American countries, according to EU sources.
Trade discussion unchanged, but there's a “window” of hope
Members of the World Trade Organization, WTO failed in Geneva to reach an agreement for the relaunching of trade talks but officials are hopeful that at the beginning of the politically loaded 2004, progress can be achieved.
IMF approves extension of Brazilian stand-by loan
The International Monetary Fund approved this Monday a fifteen months extension and increase in 6,6 billion US dollars of Brazil's stand-by credit originally approved in September 2002, taking the overall sum available to 14 billion US dollars. The IMF Board also approved a request to extend the deadline for loan repayments involving 5,8 billion US dollars that fall due in 2005 and 2006.
