Lula and Kirchner Patch Their Differences in Brazil

Presidents Nestor Kirchner, Lula da Silva and Hugo ChavezPresidents from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela made a commitment to push forward with South American energy integration according to officials in BrasÀ­lia.

Nestor Kirchner, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Hugo Chávez discussed several aspects of regional integration during a dinner at the Brazilian leader’s residence ahead of the first South America-Arab summit which began Tuesday in the Brazilian capital.


Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said Tuesday that one of the issues that dominated the presidents’ discussion was energy.


Energy ministers from the three countries plan to meet in Brasí­lia “to identify projects that could start to put into action the ideas on cooperation in petroleum and natural gas” said Mr. Amorim.


The three presidents also agreed that Economy ministers meet in Buenos Aires next June 10 to address other integration issues emphasizing in “social aspects”, revealed the Brazilian Minister.


Other issues on the table during the meeting were the recent trade disputes between Argentina and Brazil which caused a rift among both countries, and the Ecuadorian political crisis that remains stagnant.


The presidents finally agreed to another meeting “with the greatest number of ministers possible,” although the place and date have yet to be announced said Mr. Amorim.


President Kirchner considered the meeting with his Brazilian counterpart as “satisfactory” and therefore decided to anticipate his return to Buenos Aires. The Argentinean President will not be present at the South American-Arab summit closing ceremony Wednesday, according to Argentine diplomatic sources.


“All the issues were addressed and we are satisfied,” said the source, including Brazil’s support for Argentina’s position in the coming negotiations with the IMF.


“We emphatically supported Argentina in the last IMF meeting, and we are totally behind Argentina in their stance vis-í -vis the IMF”, underlined Marco Aurélio Garcia, President Lula da Silva’ main international affairs advisor.


Argentina’s main complaints against Brazil are that the Lula da Silva administration is insistent in privileging the South American Community of Nations over Mercosur in spite of statements to the contrary, and the 23 months running trade deficit.


During April Argentine exports to Brazil experienced a slight recovery, but first quarter figures show Brazil’s surplus reaching 889 million US dollars. Brazilian exports to Argentina total led 2,796 billion US dollars and imports 1,897 billion.


This article appeared originally in Mercopress.
www.mercopress.com

Tags:

You May Also Like

In Brazil, Small and Big Farmers Are All in Same Shaky Boat

Agribusiness is the driving force in Brazilian economy, answering to 33% of the Gross ...

Lula and King Mohammed VI Have Big Plans for Brazil and Morocco

Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said Friday, November 26, during the meeting ...

Rural Worker Gets a Day at the Doctor in Brazil

Pesticide poisoning, pain, and excessive exposure to the sun, which can cause skin cancer, ...

Brazil’s Lula and Iraq

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a public statement lamenting the onset of ...

Stocks Up: In One Day Brazil Wipes Out All July Losses

In a single trading session the São Paulo Stock exchange, the Bovespa, practically recuperated ...

Illiteracy Falls in Brazil, But It’s Still the Lot of 10.5%

Despite the progress that has occurred in education in recent years, illiteracy persisted among ...

Brazil’s Trade Surplus Keeps Bulls Busy

Latin American stocks were mixed, with Brazilian stocks posting modest gains amid positive trade ...

IMF Sees Brazil’s GDP Shrinking 1.3% This Year and Growing 2.5% in 2010

According to the latest estimates from the International Monetary Fund, the Latin American economy ...

Oil and Wall Street Make Brazil Market Bearish

Latin American markets had a mixed session, due to discount-buying in Argentina and bullishness ...

Brazilians doing business in Casablanca's roundtable

For Brazilians, Casablanca Is the Beginning of a Beautiful Deal

The majority of representatives of Brazilian companies participating in a mission to North Africa, ...