Bávaro (Dominican Republic), November 18, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Sérgio Amaral, revealed on Saturday (16) that the member countries of the Mercosur and the Andean Community discussed the possibility of ratifying a framework agreement between the two blocs, to be finalized at the next Mercosur Summit, scheduled for December 5-6.

According to the minister, who attended the Ibero-American Summit for the purpose of expediting negotiations between Brazil and the rest of Latin America, ratification of the framework agreement is the initial step towards the approval of a free trade agreement between the two blocs. Amaral also explained that the Mercosur held out the possibility of the two Guyanas and Chile's also joining the agreement. Amaral affirmed, moreover, that Brazil broached the possibility of signing a similar agreement with the countries of Central America and the Caribbean. "This means that we shall leave underway a trade process that basically amounts to the integration of Latin America," he added. (DAS)