MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Poor ranking for S. American cities.

Kidnapping, robberies and killings have placed Buenos Aires in position 115 of a world safety ranking which includes 215 cities in all continents. The safest is Luxembourg and at the other extreme figures Baghdad.

However, according to International Mercer Human Resources Consulting with offices in fifty countries, the Argentine capital ranking surges considerably when the quality of life is taken into account: 78th in the world and third in Latinamerica.

Mercer consultants every year elaborate a report which helps multinational corporations assess the conditions of the cities where they send their executives.

"Our indicators among other things are useful in determining how to compensate staff that is sent to a low quality city", said Jazmin Kevorkian, head of the Buenos Aires Mercer Office.

The Latinamerican city safety ranking has San Juan de Puerto Rico is position 72; Santiago de Chile, 94; Montevideo, 101; Asunción, Paraguay 107 and San Jose de Costa Rica, 111, which is followed by Buenos Aires that shares the 115 position with Quito, Ecuador.

Rio do Janeiro ranks 167 in security and 116 in quality of life.

In the top of the list behind Luxembourg, follow Helsinki, (Finland), Berne, Geneva, Zurich (Switzerland) and Vienna, Austria.

As to quality of life, San Juan de Puerto Rico, 71 and Montevideo 76, figure ahead of Buenos Aires in position 78.

Mercer consultant Juan Andres Thurburn said that if Buenos Aires security record improved, the city could further advance in the quality of life ranking.

Mercer Consultants indicate that the best cities in the world to live are, Geneva, Zurich, Vancouver, Vienna, Frankfort and Munich. The three worst cities are Brazzaville, Congo; Bangui, Africa and Baghdad, Iraq.

In the United States, New York, Washington and Miami figure 39, 42 and 62 in the quality of life ranking. The US capital actually increased ten positions from the previous report.

In Europe, Berlin figures in position 14; Paris, 31; Barcelona and Madrid, 42; Milan, 51 and Rome, 62.