MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay exposes Mercosur plights in the White House

Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez said he was most satisfied with the meeting Thursday in the White House with President George Bush, where it was agreed to expand trade and commercial links between the two countries.

President Vazquez who has repeatedly expressed his disenchantment with Mercosur "as it currently operates", particularly because of the hegemonic non consulting attitudes of senior members Argentina and Brazil, arrived in Washington with great hopes of achieving an increased trade agreement with United States.

"We have agreed to work to expand, intensify and strengthen our trade relations" he said next to President Bush from the Oval Office following the hour long meeting.

Experts and officials from both countries are scheduled to meet next October in Montevideo to continue working on the expanded trade and investment agreement.

Mr. Vazquez also talked in the press conference about Uruguay's plights with Argentina and Brazil in the framework of Mercosur.

As a founding and full member of Mercosur "we want more and better Mercosur", insisted Mr. Vazquez. "Brazil and Argentina must understand that Mercosur as it is now does not benefit and is not of use for smaller country members such as Uruguay and Paraguay".

President Vazquez went on to describe recent conflicts of Uruguay with Mercosur larger members: the pulp mills dispute and bridge blocking by Argentine pickets and Brazil's banning of Uruguayan rice imports.

"What else would Uruguay cherish than work next to Argentina in different regional development projects, such as creating joint companies for the growing wood and pulp industries", highlighted President Vazquez.

"I'm surprised Argentina insists the pulp mills dispute is bilateral and environmental when they have taken the case to the International Court in The Hague", he added.

"Uruguay needs to expand markets to sell its production" and since United States and North America have become the small South American country main trading partner "we've come to promote beef, dairy produce, software, textiles exports, Uruguayan talent and labour" plus reaching several exchange agreements in education and alternative energies, stressed President Vazquez.

He also had an Oval Office message for Uruguay saying that: "I want to say to all of you, without exception, without exclusions, together we will continue to work jointly on this path that we have undertaken in order to further the standard of life with our people."

Actually quite a path for the first Socialist president of Uruguay and the ruling left wing coalition which for years had preached and campaigned against "the evils of US imperialism" and "its enslaving capitalism".

However, since taking office the Vazquez administration has embraced orthodox macroeconomic policies, has been praised by the IMF and international banks, and has been named ironically the "best disciple". The "best disciple" of his immediate predecessor, former president Jorge Batlle an ardent promoter of private enterprise and liberal economic policies which the most active groups of the ruling coalition abhors and condemns.