URUGUAY REJECTS EXCLUDING ARGENTINA FROM MERCOSUR-EU NEGOTIATIONS

Montevideo, April 25 (PL)- Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Luis Almagro, rejected excluding Argentina from the negotiations for an FTA being conducted by the South Common Market (MERCOSUR) with the European Union (EU).

"You know that the negotiating framework (the subregional body) is four plus one (the four member countries)," said the Uruguayan Foreign Minister to reporters as quoted by TNU television channel.

Spanish minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, the EU proposed leaving out Argentina in the negotiations with MERCOSUR.

"We do not have any official statement regarding this, therefore, we can only take it as a press release," said Almagro.

He disregarded the possibility of a Uruguayan mediation between the governments of Argentina and Spain to solve the conflict, created after the expropriation of Argentinean oil company YPF, the Spanish subsidiary of Repsol.

Almagro said: "we want to improve and find a way of negotiation so as to approach parties”.

He announced that next week he will travel to Madrid to maintain contacts with the authorities of that country and carry out political and economic dialogues.

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