Latest Andean Community of Nations Stories

By Kevin Gray LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Leftist congressman Evo Morales, who calls his movement a "nightmare for the U.S." was leading Bolivia's presidential elections on Sunday, three exit polls showed. Polls released by Unitel and Television Boliviana said Morales, an Indian, had between 44 percent and 45 percent of the vote, while rightist Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga was in second place with between 33 percent and 34 percent. A third poll, published by ATB television, gave Morales a...

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A search and rescue mission for the three crew members of a U.S. Navy helicopter which crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Colombia on Tuesday has been called off, the U.S. Navy said on Wednesday. The SH-60B helicopter, which was conducting counter-narcotics operations from the U.S. guided missile frigate DeWert, crashed Tuesday morning in international waters 495 miles from the Colombian port of Buenaventura. No details of the helicopter's mission, or the...

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy SH-60B helicopter crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Colombia on Tuesday while conducting counter-narcotics operations and the fate of its crew was not immediately known, the U.S. Navy said. The helicopter, which was flying from the U.S. guided missile frigate DeWert, was carrying three crew members when it crashed in the morning in international waters, said Colombian Navy Adm. Jairo Javier Pena. The cause of the crash was not clear. The...

By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Peru have reached a free trade agreement, following an all-night negotiating session that capped 18 months of talks, a U.S. trade official said on Wednesday. No immediate details were available on the terms of the pact, which is intended to tear down trade barriers between the two countries and expand economic ties. However, the U.S. Trade Representative's office was expected to make a formal announcement later on Wednesday....

By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Peru could meet again soon to finish work on a free-trade agreement, both countries said on Wednesday as they adjourned eight days of talks for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. "We're making good progress. We still have some tough challenges," said Neena Moorjani, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office. "We're going to continue to talk over the next couple of weeks and might get together (for a formal meeting)...

By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Peru was pushing on Tuesday to finish a free trade agreement with the United States, while neighbors Colombia and Ecuador said they would need at least one more round of talks to wrap up negotiations that began 18 months ago. Colombia's chief negotiator, Hernando Jose Gomez, told reporters that Bogota had made substantial progress in the 13th round of talks on the proposed U.S.-Andean free trade agreement, but not enough to close the deal. "There...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Colombia have given up efforts to reach a free trade agreement this week, but could meet again before the end of the year to finish the deal, Colombian officials said on Tuesday. "There is a desire from the part of the United States and Colombia to try to finish this negotiation by the end of the year, if possible," Colombia's chief negotiator in the talks Hernando Jose Gomez told reporters. "Obviously, the areas that need more work from...

By Matthew Robinson CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - The Mercosur trade bloc would offer Venezuela more benefits than the country derives from the Andean Community, where some members are seeking a trade deal with Washington, President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday. Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia -- which with Venezuela and Bolivia make up the Andean Community -- have been in talks with the United States over a trade accord since May 2004. Chavez, a fierce opponent of U.S. President George W....

By Jason Webb BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia's Constitutional Court cleared the way on Friday for right-wing President Alvaro Uribe, popular for tough policies against Marxist rebels, to run for a second term in May's election. The green light for Uribe, who is Washington's closest Latin American ally, came when the court voted 7-2 to approve a law meant to prevent incumbents abusing their powers to unfair electoral advantage. Without the Electoral Guarantees Law, Uribe could...

SALAMANCA, Spain (Reuters) - Venezuela will become a full member of South America's Mercosur trade pact in December, President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday. Chavez has pushed for a long time for Venezuela to be a full member of Mercosur, which groups Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela, the world's no. 5 oil exporter, is already an associate member of the group. "Venezuela will go to the next Mercosur summit in December as a full member," Chavez told a news conference in...