BUENOS AIRES, July 7 (UPI) -- The XXVI Meeting of the Council of the Common Market and Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States begins Wednesday in Argentina.
Mercosur, which stands for the Southern Common Market (Mercado Común del Sur), is an economic bloc of 4 member nations and 2 associate member states from South America. It is the fourth largest economic bloc in the world in terms of population represented and amount of commerce generated.
The Mercosur summit, which takes place in the mission city of Puerto de Iguazú, unites the presidents of the four official member states, Néstor Kirchner of Argentina, Luiz Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Jorge Batlle of Uruguay, and Nicanor Duarte Frutos of Paraguay, along with the presidents of the two associated member states, Ricardo Lagos of Chile and Carlos Mesa of Bolivia.
In attendance will also be presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Vicente Fox of Mexico, who have recently expressed interest in joining the association.
Other countries will also have representatives present, such as Egypt, South Africa and India, which has recently concreted a number of important tariff agreements with the block.
Important issues on the agenda of the summit include Mexico´s formal petition to join the bloc and the possible clash between Argentina and Brazil over Argentina´s decision to place restrictions on the importation of Brazilian televisions and kitchen appliances. Additionally, it is possible that Hugo Chávez of Venezuela will formally apply to join Mercosur; he is hoping to achieve a political advantage in the face of the recall vote he faces in August.
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