Palestinians open trade talks with Mercosur

[Judi Lynn]

Palestinians open trade talks with Mercosur
By Tobias Buck in Ramallah

Published: September 24 2010 03:29 | Last updated: September 24 2010 03:29

The Palestinian Authority has opened trade talks with Brazil, Argentina and other Latin American countries, in an effort to boost economic and political ties with the fast-growing Mercosur bloc.

The two sides held what they described as “exploratory talks” in Ramallah on Thursday, with the Mercosur bloc submitting a proposal for “economic and trade co-operation” that is being reviewed by Palestinian officials. One official said that trade agreements were promising as they could include a reference to the borders of a Palestinian state. The Mercosur delegates stressed the political importance of the negotiations.

Evandro Didonet, an official in the Brazilian foreign ministry, said: “All four Mercosur countries have been consistently in favour of a viable, contiguous and democratic Palestinian state.”

“In our view, one of the ways to promote this goal is to establish economic and trade relations between the Mercosur states and Palestine,” he said.

More:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9bf5da28-c740-11df-aeb1-00144feab49a.html