[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E558-E559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SALUTING THE FIRST TIME VISIT OF A JOINT DELEGATION FROM THE MERCOSUR 
                               COUNTRIES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, for the first time in the history of the 
United States a Joint Delegation of the Parliamentary Committee of 
MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market), comprised of both Senators and 
Representatives from the Congresses of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and 
Uruguay, recently visited Washington, DC to meet with their United 
States counterparts.
  The visit of the Delegation emphasizes the transformation that has 
taken place in the last decade and a half in these four South American 
countries. Understanding the need to decentralize their economies, 
these countries worked together to establish policies and regulations 
that have resulted in successful market-oriented economies.
  The fifteen legislators from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay 
participated in several working sessions, met with the Senate Committee 
on Foreign Relations, the House Committee on International Relations, 
and with

[[Page E559]]

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). During their 
meeting with the CHC, we had the opportunity to discuss the political 
and economic integration process of MERCOSUR and the effects of this 
free-trade pact on the United States economy.
  Data from the Department of Commerce on the current balance of trade 
between MERCOSUR and the United States shows that the United States not 
only enjoys a surplus in trade with MERCOSUR, but also reveals that 
exports to MERCOSUR countries are significantly larger than those to 
China and Russia together, $23.3 billion versus $16 billion. This is an 
important fact we should remember as we continue to develop relations 
with these countries.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my appreciation to the Joint 
MERCOSUR Parliamentary Delegation for visiting Washington and extend my 
congratulations to the MERCOSUR countries for their achievements.

                          ____________________