SANTIAGO : Southern Cone Talks
President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina will come to Santiago on Thursday for a two-day session with Chilean President Eduardo Frei. The meeting is a manifestation of increasingly close ties between the neighboring South American countries, which were on the verge of war in 1978.
Chile and Argentina are planning improved highways to cross their Andean frontier and a pipeline to bring Argentine gas to Santiago.
A major subject of discussion is expected to be negotiations for a trade agreement between Chile and Mercosur, the duty-free zone being formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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