MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Duhalde's fence mending task.

Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde, who was recently named Mercosur's representative, began this week a round of informal contacts with political leaders, high officials, businessmen and members of the international financial community hoping to co-ordinate a political and economic route map for the integration of the South American block.

Although Mr. Duhalde won't be officially invested as president of Mercosur' Committee of Permanent representatives until the next presidential summit scheduled for December 16, negotiations leading to the crucial Free Trade Association of the Americas meeting currently being held in Miami, have forced him into the ring.

On Tuesday Mr. Duhalde visited Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and today Wednesday he's expected in Asunción, Paraguay to meet president Nicanor Duarte Frutos.

In Brazil, Mr. Duhalde committed president Lula da Silva's firm support for additional economic assistance to Mercosur weaker members, Paraguay and Uruguay, and exchanged ideas about the recent political turmoil in Bolivia and the ever present Colombian situation.

Mr. Duhalde and Mr. Lula da Silva met privately for well over an hour in spite of the fact the Brazilian president had cancelled all activities after suffering a strained ankle and had been advised complete rest by his doctors.

"FTAA is determinative for Mercosur. I'm convinced that presidents Lula da Silva and Kirchner are committed to working together with great political decision, facing the coming challenges", said Mr. Duhalde after the meeting.

Mr. Duhalde confirmed that president Lula da Silva had invited him for a Middle East tour in early December "when we will try to attract Arab investments to the region. Brazil believes Arab money is leaving the US and Europe and are looking for other markets, with which I coincide".

Another issue in Mr. Duhalde's agenda is the project for a Mercosur Parliament, since "a political co-ordination of the regional legislative branches is essential" for the ongoing political and trade negotiations with the United States and the European Union.

This Wednesday Mr. Duhalde will be stopping in Asunción, Paraguay to meet with president Nicanor Duarte Frutos and members of Congress. The fragile political and financial situation of the country plus integration prospects and tempo will be at the top of the agenda.

Friday Mr. Duhalde will be back in Buenos Aires and Saturday is scheduled to leave for Washington to participate in an Inter-American Development Bank, IDB, seminar on regional trade blocks and the role of the IDB in supporting the integration process.

A good opportunity also to meet with IDB president Enrique Iglesias, an influential man in financial affairs and Washington political circles, who last Saturday in Bolivia was severely and publicly questioned by Argentine president Nestor Kirchner for having allegedly sponsored the nomination of Argentine economist Jose Luis Machinea as head of the United Nations Economic Committee for Latinamerica, Cepal.

Mr. Machinea was Argentine Economy Minister under the administrations of former presidents Raúl Alfonsín and Fernando de la Rúa.

President Kirchner claims Mr. Machinea "helped to bankrupt Argentina on two occasions", and should have never been named head of the UN regional economic office. "This is disservice to my country", an abrasive president Kirchner accused Mr. Iglesias.