Argentina's president not only defended this nation's recent ban on some Brazilian products from import, but threatened to expand it.
Nestor Kirchner said during a meeting of regional nations belonging to the Mecosur trade bloc, which include Argentina and Brazil as well as Paraguay and Uruguay, that Argentina's decision to halt certain Brazilian electronic goods from entering the country was an effort to avoid "certain asymmetries" in their bilateral relations.
Earlier this week
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Argentina is still suffering the ill effect of a January 2002 economic collapse that cost millions of jobs and prompted the government to forfeit on billions of dollars in foreign debt.
"When we conceived of Mercosur, we thought of it as a way of promoting industrial development in all member countries, not a way of just developing one," Kirchner said Wednesday ahead of his scheduled talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "That is why we created the 'white lines,'" he added, referring to the mandate barring those select Brazilian goods.
The Argentine leader stressed that it was necessary for his nation "to avoid (trade) asymmetries and search for a balance that allows all industries in Mercosur to develop evenly."
Brazilian businesses disagree with the Argentine president's view on trade relations between the nations since both share closer ties with each other than any other Latin American nations.
On Tuesday
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Kirchner, however, continued to raise eyebrows Wednesday when he said that he may expand the ban to include Brazilian textiles as well.
The threat took Brazilian leaders by surprise considering the fact that Brazilian textile manufacturers signed an agreement with Argentina to monitor Brazil's exports without interference from Buenos Aires.
Brazil's Development Minister Eduardo Furlan attempted to downplay the potential spat brewing between Argentina and Brazil.
Furlan said he would meet with Lavagna at some point Wednesday to hammer out an agreement on the electronics ban, a notion Argentine officials denied.
Nonetheless Furlan advocated the two sides sit down at the bargaining table. "The appropriate solution will be found through dialogue
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The development minister went on to compare the growing disagreement to a lovers' quarrel.
"As in all loving relationships, small fights sometimes happen, though are resolves quickly," he said.
Separately, in other Mecosur-related news:
Lula met with his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox in the Brazilian capital Wednesday before heading to the Mercosur meeting in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, near the two nation's shared border.
Mexico is seeking to become an associate member of the trade bloc. Both Chile and Bolivia have associate status in Mercosur.
(Reported by Carmen Gentile, UPI Latin American correspondent, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.)Related articles：
