Mercosur

• Tuesday, April 10th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Chinese president in Latinamerica

• Monday, April 9th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Caracas summit.

• Monday, April 9th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Alan García, the big surprise.

• Sunday, April 8th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Buenos Aires Declaration

• Friday, April 6th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela next Mercosur member.

  Venezuela has the full backing of Brazil and has been invited to participate in the Mercosur presidential summit of next June in Asunción, Paraguay, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will formally request to become an associate member of Mercosur.

• Friday, April 6th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Harmony and dissent.

  In Toronto the Economy Ministers of the 34 American countries working for the creation of a Free Trade of the Americas association ended their meeting with a release committing themselves to promote social policies and combat poverty, but in Buenos Aires the different groups discussing the mechanics of the future association remain split in two main sides.

• Friday, April 6th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Cardoso cancels visit.

  Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso postponed his official state visit to Argentina scheduled for next April 16/17th. Although the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged “problems with the presidential agenda”, political analysts in the industrial hub of Sao Paulo claim the decision is directly related to the Argentine crisis and its consequences.

• Friday, April 6th 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Awesome task in Peru.

  Peru will be voting Sunday April 8th. for a new President and Congress, a crucial step towards the democratic normalisation of a country that was ruled for almost a decade by iron fisted president Alberto Fujimori with the strong support of the security forces.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Cavallo confirms exchange rate

  Argentine “super” Economy Minister, Domingo Cavallo confirmed that Argentina will not abandon its exchange rate system based on a one peso-one dollar, which now has been effective for a decade.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2001 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay targets USA

  “We need a bilateral agreement with the United States”, said Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle during the opening of a regional forum on free trade in the Americas.