Brasília - The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, said that Argentina's decision to obstruct the importation of Brazilian household appliances represents a controversy that will tend to disappear as soon as the two countries determine common industrial policies. "As long as Argentina and Brazil fight over each other's market, we shall be losing space. We must cooperate and understand each other in order to gain space on the international market," Amorim said, during an official visit to Buenos Aires.

He admitted that trade deadlocks are common between the two countries. According to the Minister, Argentina's imposition of a quota on the quantity of household appliances imported from Brazil was an episode that had positive effects in making the two countries reflect on some of their structural problems.

The main theme of the conversation yesterday (9) between the Brazilian Chancellor and the President of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner, was the strengthening of the Mercosur. It was manifested that, to develop the bloc, each member country will have to play a quite defined role in the productive chain and the foreign market. Constant negotiations are also essential to ensure an effective presence on the international stage, Amorim declared. "Integration requires a constant renovation of ideas," he observed.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Ana Paula Marra
Translator: David Silberstein
08/10/2004