US diplomat accuses Brazil, Argentina of boycotting FTAA

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The thrill is gone between Washington and Lula (and they expect
Kirchner to shape up, too).
Fred Feldman

Agence France Presse

October 4, 2003 Saturday

US says Brazil, Argentina subverting free trade for
Americas

WASHINGTON, Oct 3

The United States accused Brazil and Argentina of
subverting a Free Trade Area of the Americas, scheduled for
completion by 2005.

"Brasil and Argentina decline entirely to participate in
this exercise and it was very dissapointing," US negotiator
Ross Wilson said.

Wilson said the two Mercosur countries held back during
week-long talks ending Friday in Port-of-Spain.

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would create a
free trade zone including all the countries in the
hemisphere except Cuba.

Wilson said in a teleconference with journalists from the
capital of Trinidad and Tobogo that the other Mercosur
partners, Paraguay and Uruguay, stepped up to the plate.

"The discussions here really, I think, showed a clear
division among countries.

"On the one hand, we had this group of 13 countries that
were speaking with a clear voice, strongly supported by the
US, and supported in some qualified way by Ecuador and (the
Caribbean economic community) and Brazil --supported to
some extent by Argentina and somewhat less by Uruguay and
Paraguay -- on the other."

He said that, at the beginning of the meeting, the group of
13 put forth an "ambitious and comprehensive" proposal.

"We strongly supported this initiative and obviously
support the goal of a comprehensive FTAA that advances
hemispheric integration and trade liberalization," he said.

Other signers were El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Canada, Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic,
Panama, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, he said.

Ministers of the 34 countries are to meet November 20-21 in
Miami, Florida.




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