Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle on Wednesday became the first president of a Latin American or Caribbean country to officially back Miami as the site for the headquarters of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
The South American's endorsement marked a significant boost for local leaders, who are facing stiff competition from Panama and Trinidad and Tobago for the designation. Other contenders viewed as long shots are Atlanta and Puebla, Mexico.
Batlle made the announcement after meeting with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who returned Wednesday from a three-day trade mission to the Dominican Republic. He also pressed Miami's case with local leaders there, but gained no official commitment.
Batlle, who is leading his own 70-member trade mission in South Florida, met with Miami's FTAA representatives last month in Uruguay. He cited Miami's infrastructure, location and multilingual populace as reasons for his decision during a press conference at The Biltmore with Bush.
``In simple words, I vote for Miami,'' Battle said .
His support comes 13 months after the White House granted Uruguay an emergency $1.5 billion bridge loan that enabled the country's shuttered banks to reopen. They had shut down after a huge run by customers nervous that banks were about to collapse.
LOAN A LIFESAVER
Earlier in the day at a speech at Florida International University, Batlle said the loan, which covered a short period until a cash injection from the International Monetary Fund arrived, enabled him to keep his post.
If it weren't for the loan, Batlle told a group of about 80 students, ``I wouldn't be here as president today.''
Batlle is a close ally of the Bushes. He met with President Bush earlier this year and attended Jeb Bush's inauguration.
``I'm a huge admirer of his leadership, and I consider him a friend,'' the governor said.
Although Uruguay is a small country with little political clout, its support for Miami's FTAA quest is important symbolically. Many Latin American countries are said to be keen to vote for Panama City because the United States is already the host to many multilateral organizations. Meanwhile, 15 English-speaking Caribbean countries have said they will back Trinidad and Tobago.
IMPACT ON OTHERS
Officials with Florida FTAA, the nonprofit organization formed as Miami's lobbying group, said Batlle's backing could trigger other countries to announce where they stand, too.
Miami is planning to showcase its attributes as a host city during November's meeting of the hemisphere's trade ministers, who will be gathering here to hammer out FTAA provisions. Nov. 20 is the deadline for cities to officially submit their bids to host the secretariat.
Jorge Arrizurieta, executive director of Florida FTAA, said more cities could throw their hats into the ring. The final decision is expected to be made ``by consensus'' in about a year, he said.
Batlle, who is also president of the Mercosur trade bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, said he would lobby his colleagues about Miami's benefits as a host city. Mercosur is negotiating as a bloc in the FTAA, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2005.
Batlle is known as a staunch supporter of free trade, which he sees as a solution to the economic problems of his nation of 3.4 million and other small countries.
Long one of Latin America's most stable economies, Uruguay is mired in the worst financial crisis in its history and increasing social unrest.
During the FIU lecture, Batlle held up Chile as an example of how free trade agreements can stimulate small countries' economies by giving their products access to large consumer bases. ``Our countries grow from exports.''
Batlle said fears about small countries being swallowed by larger ones in free trade are overblown. He pointed to examples such as Belgium and the Netherlands in the European Union.
FIU President Modesto A. Maidique bestowed the university's Presidential Gold Medallion on Batlle for his long commitment to democracy.
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