Mercosur

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

  Vessel with nuclear waste en route to Cape Horn?

  A vessel loaded with radioactive residual materials left this Monday from Australia en route to France and one of the optional routes is Cape Horn, claim Greenpeace activists in Sydney and Argentina. The other is Cape of Good Hope.

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

  Lula, Kirchner and Lagos, the most respected.

  The presidents from Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentina, Nestor Kirchner and Chile, Ricardo Lagos are the most respected Latinamerican leaders following an opinion poll among the establishment of six countries of the region.

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

  US federal funds rate remain unchanged at 1%.

  The United States Federal Reserve Open Market Committee decided this Tuesday to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 1% and anticipated that “policy accommodation can be maintained for a considerable period”.

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

  Brazil proposes a “light” FTAA.

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's main foreign policy advisor Marco Aurelio García forecasted that the United States sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA, could become effective according to the tentative timetable but “in a far less embracing way than Washington pretends”.

• 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.