Foreign minister Héctor Timerman has affirmed that a trade deal would not be signed between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) in the second summit of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC) and the European body, which is taking place in the Belgian city of Brussels.
«Not an agreement. What we will make clear is that Mercosur already has an offer to exchange, and to listen to their side and in what condition they are in, because the infomation we have says that they have not been able to complete their offer and therefore an exchange cannot be made,» the politician explained.
The minister insisted that he was in favour of a pact, «as long as it is beneficial for both sides and does not sacrifice one single job in Argentina.»
«Mercosur wants to come to an agreement and Argentina will do everything possible to ensure that the agreement that we make with the EU, if we make on, especially benefits the people of Mercosur, because we believe that we cannot sacrifice the wellbeing of our people for an agreement that is not beneficial for us,» Timerman added.
In line with Argentina’s stance, Brazil president Dilma Rousseff asserted in the summit that «Mercosur wants to make its proposal and we want to know if the European Union is ready for that.»
Rousseff confirmed that the Mercosur countries will present an offer for a free trade agreement with the EU, and that they await an answer within «days or months».
buenosairesherald.com