Nicaraguan president losing popular support
More and more Nicaraguans disapprove of the performance of the government of President Enrique Bolanos, whose support rate has slipped to 14.7 percent, a latest opinion poll showed on Monday.

Results of the poll of M&R Consultores, released here on Monday, also showed that 36.6 percent of the Nicaraguans disapprove of the Bolaños government and 41 percent is neither in favor nor against.

The stagnant economy and high unemployment contribute to the low approval rate for the government. 61.8 percent of those polled said they did not believe there was an economic improvement since Bolaños took office in 2001.

According to the poll results, 41.8 percent of Nicaraguans showed no confidence in Bolaños.

The poll was conducted between Sept. 7 and 10 among 1,600 people across the country.
 

Brazilian minister: no Mercosur-EU FTA before Oct. 31
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said Monday that differences over agriculture and other issues had made it impossible for negotiations to be completed over a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) by Oct. 31, the original target date.

It seemed that the two blocs were unable to finish their FTA talks on schedule, due to differences on agricultural imports and the EU's drive for greater access into the Mercosur for its financial services and telecommunications, Amorim said during a seminar in honor of former Brazilian foreign minister San Thiago Dantas.

Amorim noted that Mercosur has presented to EU a new proposal, which addresses the issues of financial services and telecommunications, and gives preference to the Europeans in governmental procurement business.

The Mercosur offer represents "an important advance" in the negotiating process which started four years ago, and it is necessary to wait for the Europeans to present theirs, the minister added.

Mercosur, which consists of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, with Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Venezuela as associate members, wants its agricultural goods to gain better access to the European market with an increase in quotas that the EU has proposed.

The EU hopes to get a better proposal from Mercosur in the investment sector, government acquisitions, telecommunications, marine shipping and banking.
 

Chilean foreign minister recalls consul to Bolivia
Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear recalled the country's consul to Bolivia on Monday after the diplomat made remarks on possible revision of border treaties in view of Bolivia's demand for access to the sea.

"No official could express his personal viewpoints or his disagreement with respect to the foreign policy definitions of Chile," Alvear said by phone to a Chilean radio station.

The minister, along with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, is currently in New York attending the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"As soon as I return to Santiago, one of my first activities is to meet with the consul," Alvear said, who plans to return on Tuesday.

In an interview published Saturday by the weekly magazine "La Ipoca" of Bolivia, the Chilean consul, Emilio Ruiz-Tagle, said "a treaty is inviolable according to the international law, but anything is possible in life."

Alvear said Ruiz-Tagle's remarks went against the Chilean government's position on the land-locked Bolivia's demand for access to the sea.

After Bolivian President Carlos Mesa made the sea-access demand before the UN General Assembly, the Chilean government on Wednesday made it clear before the world body that it will not revise any border treaty although Santiago supports greater regional integration.

Bolivia has a historic claim for an outlet to the sea lost to Chile in the War of the Pacific. The two countries broke off diplomatic ties in 1978 over the issue but maintain consular relations.

Meanwhile, Alvear dismissed domestic criticism on her performance and said the position of Chile "is very clear" and is defined by the president.

"I don't need to be told what to do. I've always been very strict in upholding the foreign policy principles of the country in any scenario," she said.