MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur summit

Mercosur presidents will be meeting next Friday in Buenos Aires to express their full support to the new Argentine government and formally hand the rotating six month chair of the block to Argentina.

The regular ceremony that should have taken place last December 20/21 st. in Montevideo, Uruguay, was frustrated because of the resignation of former president Fernando De la Rúa in the midst of several days of political turmoil, rioting and looting in the main cities of Argentina. The incoming administration of President Eduardo Duhalde has confirmed Argentina will continue to strengthen Mercosur and comply agreements. However the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, and former governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Carlos Ruckauf pointed out that "relations inside Mercosur are a mess and we want to iron them out". Mr. Ruckauf is expected to visit Mercosur's leading member Brazil next week, and an advance delegation is already holding talks in Brasilia. Under former Economy Minister, Domingo Cavallo relations deteriorated to the breaking point and Brazil several times threatened with cancelling trade with Argentina. Mr. Ruckauf from Brazil will be travelling to Europe and then to Washington for a meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle, who sponsored the Buenos Aires summit, Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso, Luis González Machi from Paraguay and Ricardo Lagos from Chile have confirmed their participation in the meeting.