Fox wants Mexico in the Mercosur in 2006
07/11/2005
Fox wants Mexico in the Mercosur in 2006
Priscilla Mazenotti
Reporter - Agência Brasil
Mar del Plata (Argentina) - On the final day of the 4th Summit of the Americas, in Mar del Plata, Argentina, the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, said that he is negotiating his country’s entry into the Mercosur in the middle of next year. "The Mercosur is a good example of trade. If it were not a success, we would not be knocking on the door to enter," he commented.
Fox defended free trade and mentioned Chile and Mexico as examples of integration. In his view, the two countries have stable economies and managed to diminish poverty and social inequalities. "We want a unique, creative agreement on the continent that benefits all parties, most of all the least developed," he pointed out.
Fox’s manifestation of his desire to join the Mercosur came one day after he remarked that the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) could be formed without the Mercosur and Venezuela. His statement drew a rejoinder from the Brazilian minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim: "If other countries want to conclude free trade agreements among themselves, it’s their problem."
The Mexican president defended the FTAA and said that, in his bilateral meeting with Brazil, he heard president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva profess that he [Lula] did not oppose the agreement but that the elimination of the agricultural subsidies practiced by the United States is a prerequisite. "And I agree with this," Fox stated.
Fox admitted that he has an ongoing love affair with both the Mercosur and the FTAA. "My love is wide and complete for both free trade agreements. If the Mercosur refuses my marriage proposal, I shall continue to make love to the Mercosur and the FTAA," he observed.
Translation: David Silberstein
