Argentina and Brazil unite to fight U.S. trade policy

[Say_What]

more good news for the Bushies

<clips>

SAO PAULO A statement of intent signed in Buenos Aires last week by the presidents of Argentina and Brazil might have been short on economic details, but it did send a clear message: The two countries will resist efforts by the United States to undermine their unity in regional and global trade talks.

The joint message will probably not go unnoticed in Washington, particularly with negotiators at the World Trade Organization in Geneva scrambling to salvage what they can from the wreckage of the recent WTO meeting in Cancún, Mexico, and with the United States hoping that a meeting next month in Miami will edge the Western Hemisphere closer to agreement on the Free Trade Area of the Americas zone stretching from Alaska to Antarctica that is supposed to be established by January 2005.

Using increasingly stern language, diplomats from the United States have blamed Brazil for the collapse at Cancún, saying it was too obdurate in championing the demands of developing countries for an end to farm subsidies in developed countries.

After the Cancún talks, the U.S. trade representative, Robert Zoellick, called Brazil the leader of the "won't do" countries and warned that Washington could opt to strike bilateral deals with "can do" nations. Since then, the group of 22 developing countries, which included Brazil, China, India and South Africa, has shrunk to 12. The defectors, which included Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru, apparently gave in to American pressure.

<http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=114659>

[AP]

1. Bush is a uniter, not a divider. He's doing a better job than Bolivar of..

...uniting S.America.

Too bad so much misery is required in the process.

[el_gato]

2. cool

I hope this develops into something bigger.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. Go Lula!

Me = proud ian!

[Say_What]

5. Ditto!!

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner (L) shakes hands with his Brazilian (news - web sites) counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during a ceremony in the Casa Rosada government palace, October 16, 2003. Lula is in Argentina for a state visit. REUTERS/Martin Zabala

[Saudade]

4. Great!

I think this is great, especially because there is deep antipathy between Brazil and Argentina.

Lula is one of the most interesting leaders in the world.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. HEY, another Brazilian!

Answer fast:

Um chopps e dois pastel

or

Biscoito Grobo, sal e doce

?

:pals:

[Saudade]

8. Answer

Um chopp, por favor. E so! Obrigado!

[Barrett808]

6. Looks like the Empire is fragmenting

We're losing the South American colonies: Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and now Brazil and Argentina. Bush may have the dubious distinction of being remembered as the 21st century Honorius.

[Say_What]

9. Petrobras (Brazil) to invest $1.3 bln in Venezuela oilfields

<clips>

MARACAIBO, Venezuela, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Brazilian (news - web sites) oil firm Petrobras (news - web sites)(PETR3.SA) plans to invest $1.3 billion over the next 10 to 12 years to increase crude production at its Venezuelan oil sites, a company official said Wednesday.

Petrobras Energia Venezuela president Miguel Bibbo told reporters at an oil conference that production of medium crude at the Oritupano Leona field was currently at 47,000 barrels per day (bpd) and could reach 80,000 bpd between 2007 to 2008.

He said output at the smaller La Concepcion site was expected to more than double over the next four years.

"La Concepcion is at around 14,500 bpd and will go to 40,000 bpd," Bibbo said referring to the light crude operation.

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031022/fin_enr/venezuela_petrobras_1>