Brasília, April 13, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations, Luis Ernesto Derbez, stated yesterday (12) that his country's relations with Latin America constitute a priority and that President Vicente Fox's government is interested in integrating the Mercosur, the bloc formed by Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. During a speech on Mexican foreign policy at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, in Brasília, Derbez said that Mexico is awaiting an official invitation to participate at the next Mercosur meeting, scheduled for June 6.

Chancellor Derbez told the press that Mexico is interested in moving ahead towards a free trade agreement with the Mercosur, along the same lines as the agreement already signed with Uruguay.

"We attended a Mercosur meeting in Montevideo as observers, and we await a new official invitation. President Fox said at the beginning of his term that Mexico is interested in full integration with the Mercosur, not just in the economic and trade area but in the political area, too," the Mexican Minister affirmed.

The Mexican Chancellor is meeting today in Brasília with the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, to discuss themes of mutual interest. In 2003, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, bilateral trade between Brazil and Mexico amounted to US$ 3.2 billion, and Mexico was the fifth largest market for Brazilian exports, surpassed only by the United States, the European Union, Argentina, and China. Brazil and Mexico together account for over half of Latin America's population, territory, and economic production.

Translator: David Silberstein