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South American leaders have ended a summit in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, with a promise to revitalise and expand the trading bloc, Mercosur, which has been seriously damaged by years of economic crisis in the region. Recent recoveries in the two largest economies, Argentina and Brazil, are now creating much better prospects for closer integration.

The move to rebuild Mercosur is being led by the presidents of the two countries, who both took office this year.

They want to aim for a South American alliance based on the model of the European Union.

But that is still a long way off.

Brazil's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, promised to work every minute to consolidate the dream of Latin American unity.

But he and his colleagues will be starting almost from scratch.

First they have to eliminate tariff differences which have become more acute within South America over the last few years.

Lula said that recovery in Brazil and Argentina would now make that possible.

There are plans to expand the bloc to include Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela, and there is talk of creating a Mercosur parliament and a joint currency. But, again, as yet there are no concrete proposals.

In the short term, Lula wants to get a joint strategy to give greater strength in trade negotiations with the United States.

He will now travel to Washington to meet President George W Bush.

<a href=www.falkland-malvinas.com>MercoPressSur Thursday, 19 June

Under the undisputed leadership of Brazil and Argentina, Mercosur members, associate members Chile and Bolivia, and as special guest Venezuela, the South American trade block celebrated the XXIVth presidential summit in Asunción, Paraguay with the commitment to strengthen the political agenda and expand regional integration creating a genuine single market by 2006.

Presidents present at the summit in Asuncion - Paraguay In the final joint declaration Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay stressed the need to generate a new “negotiation thrust” to make effective regional economic integration and scheduled an extraordinary Mercosur Council meeting for mid October to assess progress on the initiative.

The proposal to consolidate Mercosur as an only market by 2006 has a strong political connotation since the United States sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA, a project that includes 34 countries in the three Americas, is scheduled to begin in 2005.

“Choosing 2006 for the consolidation of Mercosur is not a political move”, said President Kirchner adding that “I’m not a fundamentalist but I believe we should first consolidate Mercosur without dismissing the European Union, United States or any other country”.

“FTAA should start in 2005 although the timetable will be determined by reality and not a simple calendar decision”, cautioned Mr. Kirchner.

Earlier in the meeting Brazilian president recalled that “presidential elections in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay clearly indicate that our electorates favor Mercosur; we proposed Mercosur as a priority and the electorate approved, so we are now in the midst of a new political scenario far more inclined and determined to the task of regional integration”.

“Mercosur has lacked political dimension, believing it was enough with economic models, and in this context we are proposing the creation of a Mercosur parliament chosen by direct vote, to make Mercosur really democratic and with a human dimension”, remarked the Brazilian president.

Argentine president Nestor Kirchner emphasized the need of a “democratically transparent Mercosur, capable of solidarity that expands with equality and social justice” openly supporting the initiative of a regional Parliament and a Mercosur with growth mentality, “that facilitates the access of other countries of the region”.

President Kirchner indicated that the consolidation of a free trade zone and perfecting a customs union needs of a strong political-economic foundation in line with “mutual trust and a clear definition, beyond any doubt, of common objectives”.

However the idea of a regional Parliament and expanding Mercosur was received with certain caution by the group’s smallest country members, Paraguay and Uruguay who have suffered considerably the impact of a too close dependency of Mercosur “big brothers”.

But to sweeten the proposal Brazilian president Lula da Silva publicly admitted “it was essential to contemplate the productive and economic asymmetries of the smaller members” insinuating the possibility of special compensations.

Another chapter of the meeting was dedicated to the coordination of macroeconomic targets, one of the weakest points of Mercosur twelve years existence that almost floundered the project in January 1999 when the unilateral Brazilian devaluation, and again in 2000/2001 with the collapse of the Argentine economy and its fixed exchange rate policy tied to the US dollar.

An immediate target is recovering intra Mercosur trade volume to 2001 levels. Long term objectives are a foreign debt/ Gross Domestic Product ratio equivalent to 40% by 2010; a maximum 3% budget deficit beginning 2004 and 5% inflation as of 2006 when the single market is consolidated.

Argentina proposed the creation of the Mercosur Monetary Institute that would be authorized to issue the equivalent of a billion US dollars or 3% of the current monetary base of Brazil and Argentina, as a first step towards a single currency for the area.

Regarding international trade Mercosur and associate members Chile and Bolivia made public a release demanding developed countries, particularly the European Union, the liberalization of agricultural commerce.

The presidents appealed to developed countries “to adopt measures that facilitate advancement in the liberalization of agricultural trade”, as well as a quick approval of the “EU Common Agriculture Policy review”, making it easier to overcome the current stagnation of the Doha Multilateral Trade Round, and enhancing prospects for the World Trade Organization meeting to be held next September in Mexico.

Advancement must translate in “better access conditions for agricultural production and exports from developing countries” highlighted the release.

Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela participated in the summit as a special guest given his country’s determination of becoming a member of Mercosur. Venezuela belongs to the Community of Andean Nations, CAN, the block of South America’s Pacific countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela) that Brazilian president Lula da Silva wants to fully integrate.

Presidents present at the summit were, Nestor Kirchner from Argentina; Lula da Silva, Brazil; Jorge Batlle, Uruguay; Luis Gonzalez Macchi, Paraguay the host country; Ricardo Lagos, Chile; Gonzalo Sánchez de Losada, Bolivia and Hugo Chavez from Venezuela.

SourceBy KATHY STEELE ksteele@tampatrib.com Published: Jun 20, 2003

TAMPA - Drive down Armenia Avenue in West Tampa or head to the southern part of Hillsborough County around Ruskin and Wimauma. Latino restaurants, shops, supermarkets, radio stations and social clubs catch the eye in ever growing numbers.

This picture of a diverse and growing Latino population that Tampa Bay area residents have witnessed over the past decade was reinforced Wednesday with the latest Census Bureau data.

The nation's Hispanic population grew at nearly four times the rate of the overall population during the past two years, cementing Latinos' position as the country's largest minority group, the Census Bureau reported.

Hispanics numbered 38.8 million as of July 2002, an increase of nearly 10 percent, or 3.5 million, since April 2000. The U.S. population rose 2.5 percent during the same period, to more than 288 million.

Most Hispanic newcomers in the Bay area, according to community members, have been Mexicans from Mexico and Puerto Ricans who moved from New York or other metropolitan cities in the United States.

Add to the mix people from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominica, Nicaragua and other places.

`A Latin Enclave In The South'

The growth doesn't surprise E.J. Salcines, a West Tampa native and a judge in the 2nd District Court of Appeals. It's merely building on the immigrant tradition that began in the late 1800s with Cubans who worked in the cigar factories in Ybor City.

``It reinforces the diversity that is here and that this area has been known for for over a century,'' Salcines said.

``Tampa was always seen in the early 20th century as a Latin enclave in the South, in Dixie.''

Latinos know Tampa and Hillsborough County are ``a friendly area,'' he said.

The census report on the rapidly growing Hispanic population ``confirms what communities across the country have been witnessing for a while,'' said Gabriela Lemus, director of policy and legislation for the League of United Latin American Citizens.

The federal government considers ``Hispanic'' an ethnicity, not a race, so people of Hispanic ethnicity can classify themselves as any race.

Hillsborough's Numbers

State and local data were not included in this latest batch of numbers.

But the 2000 U.S. census clearly showed that Hillsborough's Hispanic communities were growing, and Hispanics were moving to new areas. For instance, the county's Mexican population nearly doubled since 1990 to 35,321, outpacing the Cuban population of 35,123. Mexicans settled in Brandon, Plant City and Ruskin.

The only larger Hispanic group was Puerto Ricans, with 52,568. Many moved into Town N' Country, an older neighborhood in the northwest portion of the county. In that area, one in four considered themselves Hispanic, compared to one in six countywide.

The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce has taken notice of the census numbers.

It seems there are more Spanish- owned businesses in the area,'' said President Kim Scheeler. We've actively tried to diversify our board and add Hispanics.''

One boom certainly is in businesses that provide services for Spanish- speaking populations, he said. That includes companies such as Capital One, which add Spanish-speaking divisions to cater to that market, Scheeler said.

Reshaping Politics

Signs of power shifts in the state's political parties were hinted at in the 2000 elections.

For the first time since 1948, Orange County, which includes Orlando, voted Democratic in the presidential election, said Lance deHaven Smith, a political analyst at Florida State University.

``Hispanics are probably the most important source of political opportunities for the parties and the focus of attention,'' deHaven Smith said. So far, Democrats seem to be attracting more Hispanics to their side, he said.

Tampa residents got a taste of the new political dynamics in the last city election, said Ricardo Roig, chairman of the Tampa Bay Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Pam Iorio and Frank Sanchez played for advantage with Hispanic voters, he said.

They're still in their infancy in political development,'' Roig said of Hispanic voters. But these folks are very politically active, politically charged. Hispanics will more and more influence local politics.''

Tabulating population data by race and ethnicity is something of an inexact science because of the way the government categorizes people. The process became even more confusing in 2000 after the Census Bureau allowed people to identify themselves by more than one race.

About 1.7 million people in July 2002 were identified by the government as black and Hispanic, while 36.3 million said they were white and Hispanic.

The Associated Press has used the non-Hispanic population figures for blacks and whites since data from the 2000 census was released in April 2001. The figures include those of one or more races.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7920.

Eat the state! (Dir. Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain). An Irish film crew traveled to Venezuela to take the pulse of President Hugo Chavez's experiment in popular democracy. They were in the country for only a few months when the three-day coup happened, and they were caught in the middle, filming every minute. This is a gripping, on-the-spot account of those tense few days when the world thought Hugo Chavez was done for. Highly recommended. This film won both the audience and jury awards for best documentary at this year's SIFF.

The Washington PostJon Jeter, reporting on Argentines picking through trash to survive [front page, June 7], quoted economist Richard Freeman and others blaming free trade policies and globalization for the Argentine demise.

How then do these experts explain the extraordinary accomplishment of social and economic progress made by Chile? More than two decades ago, Chile embraced free trade, privatization and deregulation and showed extraordinary results.

Argentina's downfall has been of its own making. It engineered a messy and suspicious currency devaluation and broke its banking system. Instead of looking at Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez or Cuba's Fidel Castro, the new Argentine leaders would be wise to look at Chile.

VALERIANO F. GARCIA

Washington