Mercosur

• Friday, June 11th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Presidents to discuss energy agreement.

  The respective presidents of Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil - Néstor Kirchner, Carlos Mesa and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - plan to meet in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz to discuss developing a regional energy bloc based in Bolivia, Bolivia's government news agency ABI reported.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras expands production and to east Africa.

  Brazil's federal energy company Petrobras added this week another 100,000 barrels of oil per day to its output capacity following the beginning of production of “FPSO Marlim Sul” (floating, production, storage and offloading) in the Marlim Sul site, belonging to the Campos Bay basin in the Rio de Janeiro coastal area.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  EU-Mercosur headed for “light” agreement

  European Union Trade Commissar Pascal Lamy said that the EU-Mercosur technical negotiations that began this Wednesday in Buenos Aires are crucial to determine if they will conclude by next October as was agreed in the recent presidential summit held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF insists Argentina agrees with creditors.

  The International Monetary Fund new Managing Director Rodrigo Rato said that the accomplishment of an agreement with all creditors is one of the “very important” steps the Argentine authorities have to complete to leave behind the economic crisis and have Argentina completely integrated into international financial markets.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Bomb explodes outside bank in Chilean capital.

  The group calling itself “Julio Guerra, Southern Operation” took responsibility for the blast in a phone call to Santiago's Bio Bio radio station.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Recall referendum in Venezuela August 15.

  The recall referendum to cut Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez constitutional mandate will take place next August 15, announced this Tuesday evening in Caracas Ezequiel Zamora, vice-president of the National Electoral Council, CNE.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguayan meat exports up 70%

  Uruguayan beef exports during the first five months of 2004 increased 70% compared to the same period a year before.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  G8 exam for new Argentine offer to bondholders.

  The Group of seven highly industrialized countries plus Russia, G-8, which are holding a two days summit in Georgia, United States, have included in their agenda the latest Argentine offer to sovereign bondholders defaulted since December 2001.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  November 2005, next Summit of the Americas.

  Argentina's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rafael Bielsa announced in Quito, Ecuador that the Fourth Summit of the Americas will be held during the first week of November of 2005 in Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Greenspan anticipates oil-spurred higher interest rates.

  United States Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said this Tuesday he was concerned with a general rise in US consumer prices if oil prices continue to soar, and consequently did not exclude a higher than expected rise in interest rates.