Mercosur

• Thursday, October 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur-US military exercise suspended.

  Argentine Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Bielsa announced this Wednesday the suspension in Argentina of a joint military exercise between Mercosur and United States troops scheduled for the end of October.

• Thursday, October 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Controversial celebration.

  One of the leading opposition members criticized the Chilean government decision to limit celebrations of an October 1988 event that proved a turning point in Chilean history to the parties of the ruling coalition.

• Thursday, October 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Ibero-american summit in spite of protests.

  Bolivian Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Saavedra assured his Ibero-american colleagues that the current protests and unrest in Bolivia will have “no influence at all” over the next Ibero-american summit scheduled for November in Santa Cruz.

• Wednesday, October 1st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras half century.

  Petrobras the giant Brazilian government oil complex celebrates this week its fiftieth anniversary.

• Wednesday, October 1st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Confidence in Kirchner remains strong.

  Even when 64% of Argentines have a positive opinion of the Nestor Kirchner administration, the confidence index has dropped to its lowest since the former Santa Cruz governor took office May 25, almost a hundred days ago.

• Wednesday, October 1st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  “Viarsa 1” is not a “pirate vessel”

  Uruguay plans to equip Uruguayan flagged fishing vessels with hermetic “black boxes” which should enable authorities in Montevideo to have the precise location of these vessels plus eliminating any possible manipulation of signals.

• Wednesday, October 1st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile: Living in fear.

  Crime has become the greatest fear for Santiago de Chile residents according to the latest opinion poll from “Fundación Futura”, a non government organization that monitors law and order problems.

• Tuesday, September 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  A step further for Kirchner's political project.

  Finally it will be former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde who will have to pay for the barbecue to share with President Nestor Kirchner.

• Tuesday, September 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil on schedule with IMF.

  Brazil recorded last August a primary budget surplus equivalent to 1,65 billion US dollars and considers “perfectly feasible” a similar figure in September which should ensure the compliance of targets agreed last year with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, according to a report from the Brazilian Central Bank.

• Tuesday, September 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  New US Ambassador arrives in Argentina.

  Lino Gutiérrez the new United States Ambassador in Argentina who arrived this week in Buenos Aires will be officially presenting his credentials to Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Bielsa tomorrow Wednesday.