Stories for July 22nd 2006
Russia/Venezuela one billion US dollars arms deal
Russia's Defence minister announced Friday a deal to sell Venezuela over a billion US dollars in jet fighters and military helicopters.
Mexico calls for unity and respect for the law
The Mexican government called on Friday for national unity and respect for the law while a court rules on challenges to the announced results of the July 2 presidential election which populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador followers describe as an “organized fraud”.
Uruguay revealed in Cordoba pulp mills dispute with Argentina
Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez underlined during the Mercosur summit the “fraternal and long standing links” between Uruguay and Argentina and said it was “senseless” to have third parties solving bilateral disputes.
“The value of unity in diversity” is the challenge
The XXXth. Mercosur presidential summit Friday in Cordoba signalled the official incorporation of Venezuela as the block's fifth full member and the “unity in diversity” concept which seems to underlie the South American customs union.
Mercosur is changing the “world's commercial geography”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stressed Friday in Argentina the crucial importance of Mercosur for world trade and encouraged his counterparts to reinvent Mercosur and meet the expectations of the junior members.
Castro praises Latinamerican unity
Cuban leader Fidel Castro who was the main attraction of the Friday Cordoba Mercosur summit said that the group has never been so united and “is far more united than other regions”.
Argentina and Uruguay in Orinoco belt oil venture
Argentina and Uruguay government owned oil companies, Enarsa and Ancap, together with Venezuelan giant PdVSA agreed to explore and extract crude from the Orinoco Belt in southern Venezuela following the signature of an agreement Friday during the Mercosur summit.
Feuding behind Mercosur unity fest
President Kirchner left the Cordoba Mercosur summit early last night in what was rumoured as an intentional snub to his presidential colleagues, who included Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.
Mercosur's juniors seek deals elsewhere
Paraguay and Uruguay, the smaller nations of the five-country trade bloc Mercosur, raised renewed interest yesterday in bilateral trade deals with non-member nations.
Governor Pearce: “no likely solution to Falklands dispute”
“The beginning of wisdom for the Argentines is to recognise that they aren't going to get anywhere on the sovereignty issue”.
