MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Farmers' conflict: all seems ready for talks to begin Thursday

Argentine farmers and government will most probably resume negotiations on Thursday while tomorrow details of the meeting will be jointly agreed according to sources from the Ministry of Economy and published in the Buenos Aires press.

"Once the country is back to normal, we'll make the contacts to arrange time and place of the meeting", said the sources on Tuesday. At zero hour Wednesday, as part of the pro-dialogue pre-agreement farmers will lift the strike although they will remain in a "state of alert". Grain and oilseed markets are also expected to resume activities on Wednesday, ending the stoppage that begun last week when frustrated farmers decided to continue the protests because of no advances or willingness "from the government" to address the issue of the sliding export levies which is at the heart of the protest. Economy minister Carlos Fernandez and Cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez are scheduled to be present at the meeting with representatives from the four farmers' organizations that have been protesting the export taxes on grains and oilseeds since early March. However Argentine government sources said that the agenda for the coming meeting includes input costs, improving ports' infrastructure, promoting added value to exports and the development of new export products in the framework of an aggressive expansion of Argentine overseas sales in the next three years. No word is mentioned of the disputed export taxing system. Argentina is one of the world's leading exporters of soy, corn, wheat, beef, dairy produce and other grains, and the more than two months conflict has had an impact in world commodities markets. Eduardo Buzzi president of the Argentine Agrarian Federation said that he had contacted Agriculture minister Javier de Urquiza to fathom when talks will resume. "I think conditions are for negotiations to begin this week", he added. But he insisted that the heart of the matter remains the "sliding export taxes system". "There's a national outcry for an end to the situation and we anticipate the government will act accordingly", said Hugo Biolcati, vice president of the Argentine Rural Society another powerful farmers' organization. Meanwhile representatives from the Catholic Church, governors and industrial organizations celebrated the fact that the strike had been lifted and dialogue is expected to resume. Monsignor Jorge Casaretto praised the farmers' "brave" decision but also cautioned that "it's not enough to sit round a table, an agreement must be reached". He added that all the bishops were "extremely happy" and recalled that in conflict situations those "who most suffer are the poor". The president of Argentina's Industrial Union Juan Carlos Lascurain said the organization was "satisfied" with the decision to lift the strike and expects a quick understanding. However he denied his organization had offered to act as a guarantor of the dialogue. "Nobody needs a mediator", said Lascurain adding the camp has "its leaders and we never asked or were after that task". But he admitted that the weekend statement published in Argentina's main newspapers calling for dialogue and signed by five non camp leading organizations "had an impact". On Saturday Argentina's Chamber of Commerce, Builders Chamber, Stock exchange and the manufacturing sectors requested a "patriotic gesture" from both sides.