Mercosur

• Sunday, April 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina and Chile recall Pope's peace mediation.

  Argentina and Chile paying homage to deceased Pope John Paul II recalled the leading role he played in preventing an armed conflict in December 1978 and how his special envoy set the foundations for a long lasting peace and friendship treaty from which both countries have since amply benefited.

• Sunday, April 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Energy-shortage winter ahead in Southern Cone.

  Chilean National Energy Commission reported that the natural gas supply shortage during March 2005 was equivalent to May 2004, the worst month of last year with an average drop of 30,4% equivalent to 7,2 million cubic metres less of gas per day.

• Sunday, April 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Taiwanese blaze and scuttle jigger after caught poaching

  An Argentine naval vessel fired on Saturday warning shots at a Taiwanese jigger allegedly illegally fishing in Argentine Patagonian waters. However after several hours' persecution the crew set the jigger “Win Lien Sheng III” on fire and jumped over board before she went down.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Analysts warn of oil at 100 US dollars a barrel

  Texas light crude reached a new record in New York and ended Friday's trading at 57,27 US dollars per barrel pushed by a strong surge in gasoline prices as well as a Goldman Sachs report warning the cost of a barrel could shoot to over 100 US dollars.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean candidate closer to OAS Secretary General post

  Caribbean community countries, Caricom, officially informed Friday of their full support to the Chilean candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Duhalde defends Venezuela and criticizes US.

  Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde defended Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and criticized the United States government for insistently pushing for hemispheric support in curtailing Venezuela.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina requests continued US “political support”

  Argentina officially requested United States continued support for the beleaguered country's debt restructuring process and negotiations with key multilateral organizations such as G-7, IMF and World Bank.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Malvinas issue: Infinite patience policy.

  Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Rafael Bielsa criticized United Kingdom's recurrent “unilateral” decisions regarding the “Malvinas issue” and called for a dialogue with “practical and innovative” steps contributing to the resumption of negotiations for a fair, peaceful and lasting solution to the South Atlantic dispute.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner: recovering Malvinas is “unrenounceable”

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner emphasized Saturday that the recovery of the Islas Malvinas (Falklands) by means of dialogue, peace and firmness, is an “unrenounceable” claim for the Argentine people.

• Friday, April 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil committed to contain inflationary expectations.

  Brazil Central Bank president Henrique Meirelles said that the bank had been successful in containing inflationary expectations adding that the prices index increase since the beginning of the year “had not damaged long term prospects”.