MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur, “a protocol of intentions”

In a most controversial statement Brazilian Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues said this week in Sao Paulo that “trade integration in Mercosur is a fallacy; it's a simple protocol of intentions because since the Asunción agreement in 1991, it has been unable to harmonize macroeconomic policies and its four members don't have a converging vision towards third countries”.

One of three businessmen in the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration cabinet Mr. Rodrigues said that much progress must be made "before Mercosur can be truly considered a trade block that above all is geared towards other markets".

Mr. Rodrigues argued that one of the ways to ensure regional integration would be to attempt, for example, selling soybeans jointly between Argentina and Brazil.

"We're waiting a counter proposal to a specific proposal we've done", revealed the Brazilian Agriculture Secretary.

Actually Mr. Rodrigues is at odds with President Lula da Silva's Workers Party since he favours planting genetically modified soybeans while the traditional groups of the party are against it. In Brazil GM is officially banned, so far.

Mr. Lula da Silva's Workers Party is divided between the hard core, who favour an economic orthodox policy and GM soybeans, and the ruling party's members of Congress closely linked to environmentalist groups who oppose the initiative.