São Paulo - Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, congratulated Argentina on reaching a last-minute agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which involved the payment of a due debt totalling US$3.1 billion.

Amorim said it would be extremely pretentious to say that Brazil was involved in the negotiations. However, he did declare that Brazil certainly wanted to see the efforts by Buenos Aires to conduct responsible economic policy preserved. (AB)