MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru-US free trade talks.

Peru announced that next week formal talks for a bilateral free trade agreement will commence in Washington.

"Next Tuesday, in a public session the US government will be announcing the beginning of talks for a free trade agreement with Peru", said Vice-president Raúl Diez Canseco, one of President Alejandro Toledo's most trusted aides on his return from three days in Washington to prepare the beginning of negotiations.

Peruvian president Toledo is seeking for 2004 an ambitious bilateral trade agreement with United States.

Andean countries Peru, Colombia Ecuador and Bolivia currently have a tariff preference regime with the Unites States but this expires in 2006.

Last September president Toledo anticipated that preliminary talks for a free trade agreement were being held with US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and US Secretary of Commerce Don Evans.

The US so far has signed free trade agreements with Chile and Mexico in Latinamerica. The accord with Chile was ratifies this year and with Mexico in the early nineties in the framework of the North America Free Trade Agreement that also includes Canada.

Mr. Diez Canseco is considered the most "liberal" of Mr. Toledo's allies and fully supports opening the Peruvian economy, lowering tariffs and privatizing government companies.

He was instrumental in having Peru leave the G 21 that during the recent WTO ministerial summit in Mexico questioned United States agriculture policies. US Trade Representative Zoellick said G 21, (headed by Brazil, India, China and South Africa) was greatly responsible for the collapse of the Mexico summit