MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Duhalde, Mercosur's “president”.

Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde was nominated this Monday in Montevideo president of Mercosur's Representatives Committee, RP, a body that will have the task of coordinating different Mercosur's departments and represent the South American trade block in international negotiations.

The RP formally born this Monday during the meeting of the Common Market Group that includes the four Mercosur full members Foreign Affairs and Economy Ministers will have a representative from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with an "outstanding figure" as president, in this case Mr. Duhalde.

The former Argentine president will officially take office next December during the presidential summit in Montevideo, and when Uruguay will hand over the Mercosur pro tempore chair to Argentina.

Argentine Foreign Secretary Rafael Bielsa thanked his Mercosur counterparts for supporting Mr. Duhalde' candidacy and announced that the costs of the new office will be met by Argentina.

To celebrate the event this Wednesday Argentine president Nestor Kirchner is expected in Uruguay to share lunch with President Jorge Batlle, Mercosur's Representative Committee president Eduardo Duhalde and Argentine Foreign Secretary Rafael Bielsa.

Actually it will be Mr. Kirchner's first official visit to Uruguay since taking office and an opportunity to establish a rapport with Mr. Batlle.

The Kirchner administration and Uruguayan president Batlle have had different views regarding international and trade policies. Uruguay is fearful of a strong Brasilia-Buenos Aires axis and prefers a more fluid relation with Washington and international multilateral organizations. Mr. Batlle is particularly enthusiastic about the US sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas, while Brazil and to a lesser extent Argentina are more cautious and distrustful of the American initiative.

Mr. Kirchner is again expected in Uruguay next November 19 when the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the River Plate Treaty and the Maritime Front which clearly defined and specified River Plate jurisdiction between the coastal states of Argentina and Uruguay.

The Treaty considered generous for Uruguay's aspirations was signed in 1973, during the third mandate of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón ending a dispute inherited from Spanish colonial times.