MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula is Mercosur's “main leader”.

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva “is Mercosur's main leader”, said Argentine former president Eduardo Duhalde who currently is president of Mercosur's Council of Permanent Representatives.

The statement in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper O'Globo last Sunday, and coming from a former Argentine president who helped Mr. Nestor Kirchner become elected president of Argentina 15 months ago, but are now political rivals, could be interpreted as a provocation.

However Mr. Duhalde was quick in highlighting that "President Kirchner is like a tractor, a man of much strength but he's absorbed by internal affairs".

When asked if the circumstances of the Argentine presidency do not condition Mercosur's target of strengthening regional relations, Mr. Duhalde replied that "he doesn't like travelling; he prefers to be entirely involved in domestic affairs. International issues don't occupy an important space in President Kirchner's agenda".

As to future Mercosur's challenges following the recent agreements with the Andean Community countries and Mexico, Mr. Duhalde revealed he was involved in beginning contacts with Central American countries "to assess the chances of reaching some kind of agreement. We need allies for the near future when we have to negotiate a continental agreement".

As to the leaders of Mercosur's expansion process, Mr. Duhalde replied that the main leading country is Brazil, and President Lula given his personality and decision making capacity.

"We need to strengthen certain alliances with countries that share borders with Brazil such as Venezuela, and this invigorates Mr. Lula's leadership. We must not forget Brazil in the region's main economy and together with Mr. Lula's dedication constitute a leadership".

Regarding the personal relation between the two leaders Mr. Duhalde said "they are different persons. They can have discrepancies but in the central issues they agree". Finally Mr. Duhalde confirmed the Brazilian position regarding Mercosur's long term objective.

"We're heading to continental unity, not towards a Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA. We want an agreement that includes all hemispheric countries, not FTAA sponsored by United States and much less in 2005", insisted Mr. Duhalde.

"First we need the integration of all South American countries, because we are a great nation", said Mr. Duhalde stressing that the US vision "is not convenient because it's an only direction road".