MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said Wednesday that the diplomatic crisis between Argentina and Brazil is "bad news" for the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and expressed hope that the two governments would resume dialogue to ease tensions.
Lubetkin said the deterioration in relations between Mercosur's two largest members hurts not only Brazil and Argentina, but also Uruguay and Paraguay. "We see it very badly, certainly. This doesn't help anyone," he told reporters in Montevideo.
He said tensions within Mercosur make the bloc's work more difficult during an important semester, as Uruguay currently chairs both Mercosur and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and is leading a trade negotiation agenda.
Lubetkin said he hoped both governments would find state-level channels for dialogue to lower tensions and move forward.
Asked about possible Uruguayan mediation, he said Montevideo remained willing to help if requested, but that no mediation effort was currently underway. ■
