Mercosur

• Thursday, May 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Opposition is born.

  Promising a “constructive opposition”, Mr. Ricardo López Murphy who has emerged as the most important non Peronist figure in current Argentine politics, took advantage of the political vacuum created by Mr. Menem's long meditated decision to step down from the presidential run off and was extremely critical of the former president and caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde.

• Thursday, May 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil welcomes Kirchner as Argentina's next president.

  Brazil is pleased that Nestor Kirchner will be Argentina's next president and hopes that with him as leader, the two nations' bilateral “strategic alliance will advance considerably,” Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said here Thursday.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  “I won't let you down”

  After a full day of hectic activity and insistent rumors about former Argentine president Carlos Menem abandoning this next Sunday's (May 18) presidential run off against favorite Nestor Kirchner, Mr. Menem appeared on Tuesday midnight and promised supporters “I won't let you down; go and rest, tomorrow is a new day”.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguayan president short of Congressional majority

  Mr. Nicanor Duarte was officially proclaimed this week by the Paraguayan Electoral Tribunal as the country's next president following the results of the April 27 general elections.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian industry growth flat .

  Brazilian industry experienced last March its greatest drop in sales in eight years according to the latest release from the National Confederation of Industry, CNI. The report indicates that the fall was equivalent to 11,82% compared to February.

• Monday, May 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Anti-Menem vote consolidates,

  As a robust anti-Menem tendency seems to consolidate in the Argentine electorate, front runner in the presidential election Nestor Kirchner confessed this weekend to the Buenos Aires press that in his wildest dreams he never expected to become president in 2003.

• Monday, May 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Inflation in Uruguay.

  Consumer prices in Uruguay increased 0,95% during April bringing the first quarter total to 5,52% and 27,68% for the last twelve months, according to the latest release from the Statistics Office.

• Monday, May 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula and Duhalde in Batlle's agenda

  A busy week ahead for Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle who is travelling to Brasilia to meet with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Latinamerica's largest and most influential country that has begun a strong regional political integration persuasion policy, hoping to muster sufficient support in South America to counterbalance the powerful George Bush administration.

• Monday, May 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur-USA 4+1 talks.

  Argentina and Uruguay will attempt to launch the 4+1 agreement talks, between Mercosur and United States, since the Free Trade of the Americas Association, FTAA, and process seems to be stagnant. The initiative should take place during the second half of 2003 when Uruguay will hold the Mercosur pro-tempore chair.

• Monday, May 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  China in the G8.

  Beijing officials have confirmed that China will be participating in the G 8 summit to be hosted next month by France. French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin invited Chinese President Hu Jintao during a visit to China last month.