MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lagos to visit Argentina to strengthen regional links.

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires for his first official visit to Argentina since President Nestor Kirchner took office on May 25.

According Chilean Foreign Ministry sources during the two day visit (August 28 and 29) Lagos and Kirchner hope to be able to make further progress in the trans Andean relations building on the "political agreements" the two left of center heads of state share.

Both countries have now named their respective ambassadors: veteran socialist leader Gabriel Valdez is the new Chilean representative in Buenos Aires and Carlos Abihaggle is his Argentine counterpart in Santiago.

The two heads of state are seeking ways of increasing two way trade between both countries, easing the way for Argentine trade to the Pacific via Chile and Chilean trade to the Atlantic via Argentina.

Both governments agree that Chile, Argentina and Brazil must have "a common position in bodies such as the World Trade Organization".

Chile has confirmed that it is ready to give Argentina its unconditional support in the on-going negotiations with the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the disputed Falkland Islands.

The Lagos government would like to see both countries supporting a common policy on the thorny issue of military action in the Middle East.

Although the friendship between Lagos and Kirchner is only very recent the Argentine head of state is grateful to his Chilean and Brazilian counterparts for the support he was given at the time he was waiting to face former President Carlos Menem in a run-off election earlier this year.

Both men agreed that the time had come for the setting up of a "political Mercosur" to ensure the peaceful resolution of existing and future trade disputes between the regional partners.