Mercosur

• Wednesday, October 29th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile fully supports FTAA timetable.

  Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Soledad Alvear said Chile will fully support all efforts to make the Free Trade Association of the Americas “a reality in 2005”.

• Tuesday, October 28th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine protesters who cornered minister to be prosecuted.

  The Argentine government said Monday that it will not negotiate “under pressure” with the groups of unemployed who in the past several days have stepped up their protests and are now preparing a “fight plan” of nationwide rallies.

• Tuesday, October 28th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazilian officials: We'd rather negotiate with EU than U.S.

  The Brazilian government, which is at odds with Washington over the planned Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA, said Monday that it would be easier and more profitable for the Mercosur trade bloc to negotiate with the EU.

• Tuesday, October 28th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil's Lula Says U.N. Needs New Mission.

  President declared that the United Nations should be reformed and given a new mission to eliminate world hunger and poverty, opening a three-day meeting of socialists and social democrats from around the world.

• Tuesday, October 28th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Press release for the eighth Argentine British Conference.

  The Eighth ABC, a private initiative, organised jointly by the UK Organising Committee and the Consejo Argentino par alas Relaciones Internacionales (CARI), was held at the headquarters of CARI in Buenos Aires from 24 to 26th October 2003. The objectives were to discuss the bilateral relations between Argentina and Britain, including South Atlantic issues.

• Monday, October 27th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil's economy “in order” and ready to take-off.

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration has put Brazil's economy “in order” and established the necessary conditions for renewed growth and the rapid implementation of proposed reforms, announced Finance Minister Antonio Palocci in a national broadcast last Friday.

• Thursday, October 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile linked to the world's main trade blocks

  Following the approval this Wednesday by the Chilean Senate of the Free Trade Treaty with United States that was signed last June, Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Soledad Alvear underlined that the “ratification of the treaty means the job has been done”.

• Thursday, October 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Repsol-YPF to increase investments in Patagonia

  Repsol-YPF announced in Buenos Aires that the Spanish-Argentine consortium has plans to invest the equivalent of 750 million US dollars in the coming fiscal year in further exploration and exploitation in the continental shelf of Patagonia.

• Thursday, October 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  US warns China on trade

  United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick who this week visited Beijing, threatened China with closing US markets to Chinese exports if local authorities do not begin with strong reciprocity actions towards American exports.

• Thursday, October 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  IMF praises Brazil but unemployment remains strong

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, praised Brazil this week for its achievements, “exceeding the most optimistic expectations” of the multilateral organization. However Brazil has not yet hinted whether it will renew a 30,4 billion US dollars stand-by credit line agreed in September 2002.