Rio de Janeiro, 3/17/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - At the end of their meeting yesterday, the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, agreed to a significant expansion of bilateral cooperation.
The two presidents signed a document on relations with international organizations. They also signed a joint communiqué, which is being called the "Copacabana Act." In the second document, Lula and Kirchner made important advances in bilateral relations. They called for a quick conclusion to trade negotiations with the Andean Community in order to consolidate a "South American Community of Nations." The document also came out in favor of the conclusion of trade negotiations between Mercosur and the European Union.
"We are strengthening our strategic alliance with Argentina in light of what that alliance means to South America. It is our opinion that it is analogous with that of France and Germany to European integration," said Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim.
Amorim added that all those present at the meeting were aware of its historical importance as part of the process begun with the Buenos Aires Consensus which laid out positions with regard to globalization.
As for physical integration, the presidents announced that they were moving ahead with construction of the so-called "Mercosur Freeway," with Kirchner and Lula revealing that competitive bidding would begin for the construction of highways (Ruta Nacional N 14 in Argentina and the BR290 highway in southern Brazil) by the end of this month.
It was also decided to build a railroad through the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Missiones, into the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. This railroad will eventually link ports on the Pacific coast of Chile with the Paraguai-Paraná waterway in Brazil.
Lula and Kirchner also announced that in the future they intend to send a joint Brazil-Argentine mission into space.
The document closed with a promise by the presidents to work together to promote social programs and create jobs. (AB)
