MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil supports Mexico's Mercosur request.

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva officially announced this Wednesday his country's full support to Mexico's Mercosur associate member request to be formally considered this Thursday in Argentina during the bi-annual presidential summit of the South American block.

Mexican president Vicente Fox is currently on a short visit to Brazil before arriving in Puerto Iguazú, northern Argentina, where Mercosur ministers have been holding discussions in preparation for Thursday and Friday's presidential summit, when among other issues Argentina will officially hand the pro tempore Mercosur chair to Brazil for the next six months.

President Lula da Silva said that Brazil and Mexico had also agreed to establish closer trade cooperation as an instrument for the development of Latinamerica. "We're interested and in need of closer links between our countries, the most populous of Latinamerica, with economies that have growing levels of integration", argued the Brazilian president.

Mr. Fox said that "Brazil and Mexico have the obligation and responsibility of associating and begin adding, so the enormous possibilities and potential of the whole of Latinamerica can become effective; our cause here today is the integral development of our countries and Latinamerican development".

Both presidents were expected late this evening in Puerto Iguazú for the XXVI Mercosur presidential summit when Mexico will formally submit its association request.

"Mexico is fully available to negotiate a free trade agreement with all Mercosur countries", added Mr. Fox, whose country is the world's ninth economy, the seventh exporter and has trade agreements with 42 countries.

As to bilateral relations Mr. Fox announced Mexico will collaborate with Petrobras, Brazil's oil company, and will be purchasing Brazilian made aircrafts.

"We've had a very profitable morning. We've addressed strategic issues of our bilateral relation such as energy and we've defined the great potential both our government energy companies have ahead of them".

A Binational Committee will be responsible for the monitoring of the agreements to be implemented by both countries.