MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

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Trade Dispute Tribunal

On a more bright side the Mercosur summit agreed to the creation of a permanent Trade Dispute Tribunal which will be seated in Asunción, Paraguay. The Tribunal will have a legal representative from each member country plus a fifth named by consensus. (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). The purpose of the Olivos Protocol, according to the official release points to the "de-politization of conflicts among member countries; ensure institutional predictability; advance towards a uniform interpretation of Mercosur rules and create a common jurisprudence". Martín Redrado, head of Argentina's International Economic Negotiations Department, dependent from the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the protocol will improve the current system "advancing on experiences from different disputes and the different arbitrations reached". Mercosur has been plagued with trade disputes which many times required political intervention through direct contact between presidents of the countries involved. However Mr. Redrado said that Mercosur is considering another "forum option", which would enable country members to choose between the newly created Mercosur arbitration system or appeal to the World Trade Organization.

Terrorist resurgence

Chilean Army Commander General Ricardo Izurieta expressed this week in Santiago concern over the possible resurgence of terrorist groups. "For the Army and intelligence services the eventual regrouping of terrorists is a matter of permanent concern", stressed General Iruzieta. General Izurieta remarks follow several days of controversy in Chile after the arrest in Sao Paulo of Chilean "subversives" involved in the ransom kidnapping of Brazilian businessmen. Two of the Chileans captured had fled from Santiago's maximum security jail in 1996, with the help of two IRA women terrorists, and they still figure at the top of the most wanted list of Chile. One of them, Hernández Norambuena, a notorious member of a Marxist guerrilla movement, Revolutionary Front Manuel Rodríguez also admitted to Brazilian authorities to have lived in Cuba before moving into Brazil. Given the delicate political situation created by the arrest of