Passage to India.(Panorama)(Brief Article)

The Mercosur trade bloc countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, signed a preferential trade agreement with India to establish fixed tariffs on more than 1,700 products. Negotiations on which items to Include in the trade pact will take place until mid-2004, and the new tariffs are expected to take effect in the second half of the year. Separately, Brazil signed several bilateral accords with India for joint cooperation, including launching micro-satellites from the Asian country. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says the trade deals represent a new era for cooperation among countries south of the equator, and that developing countries should follow the Mercosur example to create similar initiatives.

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