MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Duhalde, head of Mercosur Committee until December

Eduardo Duhalde will continue as head of the Mercosur Standing Representatives Committee until December 26 and will not be involved in the “cheap politics and accusations” of the current Argentine mid term electioneering, revealed a close aide of the former Argentine caretaker president.

"Mr. Duhalde remains committed to his Mercosur agenda and will ignore the preposterous accusations which only reveal the president (Nestor Kirchner) nervousness since public opinion polls are not showing what he'd like to see", added the close aide.

In the ever more radicalized Argentine campaign for the congressional elections of next October, President Kirchner, and wife Cristina Kirchner, accused Mr. Duhalde of conspiring with former president Carlos Menem and a former law and order policeman candidate Luis Patti to de-stabilize his administration.

The until now passivity of the Kirchner administration with the picketers who regularly interrupt Buenos Aires traffic and occupy public places and government buildings, seems to have retracted the middle class vote and this is showing negatively in the opinion polls of those candidates blessed by President Kirchner.

Another member of Mr. Duhalde close entourage recalled that the former president was proposed to head the Mercosur Standing Representatives Commission by Brazilian president Lula da Silva and then Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle and unanimously approved by all country members.

"Argentina must learn to respect institutions" insisted the Duhalde side source who remembered that every time European Union president Romano Prodi met with President Primer Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in spite of the fact they were declared political enemies, they behaved correctly and they never mixed domestic politics with supranational institutions.

"That's what we mean with learning to respect institutions, learn to respect Mercosur and its institutions", emphasized the Duhalde side spokesperson.

According to the original agreement the president of the Mercosur standing representatives commission has a two year mandate, with the possibility of an additional year. Originally it was believed Mr. Duhalde's time would be extended as of next December for another twelve months and on more than one occasion Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa made the proposal.

However given the current war climate between President Kirchner and his former sponsor, most analysts agree Mr. Duhalde will be leaving the post next December.