Mercosur

• Monday, August 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Peru attempt to cool rhetoric.

  Peruvian and Chilean officials tried over the weekend to cool the heavy exchange of statements between both countries that have strained bilateral relations.

• Sunday, August 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile organizing major expedition to South Pole.

  Chile is organizing a major Antarctic scientific expedition for this coming austral summer that leaving from Patriot Hills' area should reach the US Amundsen-Scott base in the Southern pole.

• Sunday, August 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Incentives for privatized Punta Arenas abattoir.

  Punta Arenas Appeals Court rejected the protection request presented by the Simunovic Abattoir against the local government for having extended regional investment incentives to the recently privatized former Sacor plant.

• Saturday, August 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian banker “has no plans to resign”.

  Brazil's Central Bank president Henrique Meirelles, said Friday that he was not resigning and insisted he had President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's “full support” in the face of allegations of tax evasion.

• Saturday, August 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  EU-Mercosur begin another trade round.

  Mercosur and European Union delegates will attempt this coming week in Brasilia to unlock negotiations for a free trade area between both blocks.

• Saturday, August 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Malvinas War Veterans census.

  Argentina called on all former 1982 Malvinas war combatants to register in the First National Census of War Veterans.

• Saturday, August 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Strong “dissuasive” Chilean signal to Peru.

  After several weeks of difficult diplomatic exchanges with Peru repeatedly calling for a review of maritime borders, Chile sent a “dissuasive” signal to its northern neighbor with a military display just across the border.

• Saturday, August 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur plans a “South American Community”.

  A more flexible Mercosur with a several speed integration process, structural support fund for the weakest economies plus an “energy compensation belt” helping to match demand and supply culminating in a “South American Community” or “United States of South America”, is the ambitious agenda for the next six months set out this week in Brazil.

• Friday, August 6th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Defeat of “people to people diplomacy”

  “Heavy handed Foreign Ministry pressure” seems to be the response to “people to people diplomacy and the triumph of reconciliation”, points out The Buenos Aires Herald in its Thursday (August 5) editorial criticizing Argentine government's reaction to a private visit by Malvinas Families next of kin to the recently finished Argentine Memorial in Darwin

• Friday, August 6th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Australia, NZ and US allied to fight illegal fishing.

  Australia is helping to lead the way with a new approach to combat illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean through the adoption of a centralized Vessel Monitoring System (cams).