Economy  

The Finance and Foreign Affairs Ministers and the Central Bank Presidents of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) will hold a special meeting next Monday in Brasilia to discuss the actions that will be taken by member countries to cope with the current international financial crisis, said on Wednesday Brazilian Foreign Minister,  Celso Amorim.

According to Amorim, the meeting is intended to "define mechanisms to provide answers, if not joint at least transparent, to the economic crisis in order to avoid any surprise."  Mercosur representatives will also discuss the policies to be adopted by member countries.

The meeting of the trade bloc will take place in the Itamaraty Palace (headquarters of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry) and will be attended by ministers of the four Mercosur countries and Venezuela, as well as representatives of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, which represent all the countries of South America.