Mercosur

• Friday, November 5th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  US insists with FTAA negotiations.

  United States Ambassador in Brazil John Danilovich said in Rio do Janeiro that negotiations for the creation of the Free Trade of the Americas Association, should resume before the end of 2004.

• Friday, November 5th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Rio Group summit pledge help for Haiti and democracy.

  Peruvian and Brazilian presidents Alejandro Toledo and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva inaugurated Thursday in Rio do Janeiro the XVIIIth Rio Group presidential summit which this Friday will release a document pledging support for Haiti, democracy and regional integration.

• Friday, November 5th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  UNITAS naval exercise in Uruguayan waters.

  Naval units from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, United States and Uruguay will be participating until November 19 in the annual Unitas Atlantic exercises which this year will take place mostly in Uruguayan territorial waters.

• Friday, November 5th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil's embattled defense minister resigns.

  The Brazilian government announced Thursday the resignation of Defense Minister Jose Viegas, just two weeks after he was forced to repudiate statements by his own generals defending the repression that took place under the country's 1964-1985 military regime.

• Thursday, November 4th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Foreign debt, priority of the Rio Group agenda.

  Foreign Affairs ministers and coordinators of the 19 Latinamerican country members of the Rio Group were giving this Wednesday in Rio do Janeiro the final touches to the documents to be signed during the presidential summit Thursday and Friday.

• Thursday, November 4th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean presidential mandate cut to four years.

  The Chilean Senate voted to cut the presidential mandate, beginning 2006, from six to four years without the chance of immediate re-election.

• Thursday, November 4th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Spain: We continue to claim sovereignty over Gibraltar.

  The Spanish foreign minister said Wednesday that his government maintains its claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar and will continue to press the issue in a renewed dialogue with Britain.

• Wednesday, November 3rd 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean-Bolivian ministerial meeting.

  Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Ignacio Walker confirmed that he will be meeting his Bolivian counterpart Juan Ignacio Siles in the framework of the Rio Group presidential summit scheduled this week in Brazil.

• Wednesday, November 3rd 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  South Atlantic hake dispute ends in court.

  An Argentine federal judge repealed a lower court appeal that allowed several vessels to fish common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) despite having exceeded the total allowable catch (TAC) established by the Argentine Fisheries authorities. Furthermore the federal judge ordered the company owning those vessels to be sanctioned.

• Wednesday, November 3rd 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  UK consolidates as Chilean wines main customer.

  Chilean wine exports in the last twelve months (October 2003/September 2004) have reached 791 million US dollars which represents a 26,1% over the same period a year ago with the United Kingdom consolidating as the main customer.