Brazil - Brazzil Mag - Brazil and Argentina Tell Mexico's Fox to Mind His Own Business

Amazon Body Care

Related Items

Argentine president Nestor Kirchner called on his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox "to look after his country", and "I'll do the same with the Argentines, as it should be".

"I was voted by the Argentines and I'm going to look after my people", stressed Mr. Kirchner adding that he will continue "to defend the interests of Argentina in international meetings".

Mr. Fox was extremely critical of President Kirchner during the recent Americas Summit in Mar del Plata accusing the Argentine leader of not acting as a proper and neutral host contributing to find common ground.

The Mar del Plata declaration finally had two positions, one from Mercosur and Venezuela deferring support for the US sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas, and the rest of the 34 countries committed to the re-launching of the initiative.

According to the Mexican press, President Fox said that several leaders left the summit with the impression "that Mr. Kirchner's thoughts were more oriented to please Argentine public opinion than turning the Mar del Plata meeting into a success".

"I won't be going to a summit to hand over the interests of the Argentines just to please the guests, no matter how powerful they are", said Mr. Kirchner, Tuesday, November 8, in Buenos Aires, during an event in the outskirts of the city.

Argentina supports economic integration but "without asymmetries or subsidies", insisted the Argentine President before his audience.

"If this means staying alone, I'll do so because I was elected to defend the interests of the Argentines, and this is paramount for me," he added.

The Argentine President blamed the riots and violent protests in Mar del Plata on "minority and mercenary groups" who preach violence and have "zero votes".

"They are a bunch of cowards; Argentines want to live in peace," blasted Kirchner.

Earlier in the day Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa said that Mr. Fox "has a strange idea of Latinamerican unit, which we do not share", adding that he was trying to contact his Mexican counterpart to request a transcript of President Fox public statements.

"We'll then decide what course of action to take," said Mr. Bielsa. However Casa Rosada sources anticipated that President Fox's words are expected to be analyzed and assessed but not a source of "diplomatic reaction."

Brazil also voiced strong criticism against Mexico's strong stance in support of FTAA during the Americas summit.

Marco Aurélio Garcia, President Lula da Silva main foreign policy advisor denied the summit had been a failure because Mercosur balked from a timetable for the resumption of FTAA negotiations supported by 29 countries.

"We have long defended the idea that rich countries must reduce agricultural subsidies and barriers to trade. It's not worth talking about timetables, which are something secondary. I believe other countries radicalized their positions," said Mr. Garcia.

The Mexican delegation arrived in Mar del Plata saying that "let's go ahead with FTAA with or without Mercosur", recalled President Lula's advisor, "which is very odd since on the one hand Mexico has requested to join Mercosur and then proposes an FTAA leaving out South America's two leading economies (Brazil and Argentina)."

As to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez remarks that FTAA "was dead and would be buried in Mar del Plata," Mr. Garcia argued that "adjectives don't count for much, what interests us is substance".

People, drugs and TV\'s.
written by Guest, 2005-11-09 13:12:33

Mexico's main export to the north. President Fox should do more for the people of Mexico. Mexico depends on capital sent back home from illegal immigration in the U.S.A.. Nafta have not improve the lifes on the common people, only the elites. Next to Columbia, drugs and taquila is Mexicos best exported product.

dead wrong
written by Guest, 2005-11-09 16:44:46

Brazil also counts on money sent back from illegal immigration not only in the USA as Mexican do the most but worldwide.
Mexican governments have done far more than Brazilian governments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and many other things.

In fact Brazil wants now to copy what Mexico did in education during the last decade.
As to drugs your country starts to be quite famous too.
And for TVs it is well known that it is in Brazil that there are the most.
For exports, Brazil also wants to export more everywhere. Nothing to be ashamed of it seems to me. The problem is how ??? You want to go to the WTO with the agriculture subsidies only but the subject of the meeting is gloval free TRADE that include many manufactured goods and financial services where you dont want to go into discussion because you are simply not competitive.
You want it all and give nothing. By definition this is not a negotiation and even less reciprocity.
Just read what Mandelson said this week end : "EU trade boss opposed to scaling down trade talks" and also ""If we do not deliver ambitiously on the (WTO's) Doha Round AS A WHOLE we risk losing or compromising Doha's key development component. That is not acceptable to Europe."

TEQUILA IN MEXICO
written by Guest, 2005-11-09 16:49:10

and cachaça in Brazil.

Who are producing and drinking the most ?

Can two wrongs makes one right???
written by Guest, 2005-11-09 17:50:32

Neither Brazil or Mexico economies depends on it's people to send money home...pleaaaaseee, let's be real! What we do have are two economies that requires strategies. Mexico's economy has done quite well in the past two decades with the big brother to the north... Brazil's economy on the other hand is quite more diversified than the Mexican will ever be... Brazil could also learn a great deal with Mexico's social model...and maybe we can all learn.
We are too similar to be different... just ask the Canadians.
Jorge Correa