Argentina, Brazil make up with dinner toast--Chavez
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-10 21:38

The leaders of Brazil and Argentina dismissed signs of rivalry with a toast at a Monday night dinner before a South American-Arab summit, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said.

Argentine newspapers had reported last week that President Nestor Kirchner was growing irritated at Brazil's diplomatic strategy in which it is seeking to take a regional leadership role and to mediate in conflicts.

Kirchner and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appeared friendly toward each other at a dinner on the eve of summit of South American and Arab nations organized by Brazil, the Venezuelan leader said.

"I saw in Nestor and Lula two good comrades, two great friends, and I am honored to be a friend of these two illustrious fighters for the liberty of our people," Chavez told reporters after the dinner.

"We toasted each other with a glass of wine," he said, adding that talk of conflict between Brazil and Argentina was "gossip."

Traditional rivalry between South America's two largest countries had boiled over last week when Argentine paper Clarin published comments by Kirchner unfavorable toward Brazil.

"If there is a job open at the World Trade Organization, Brazil wants it. If there is a space at the United Nations, Brazil wants it. If there is a job at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Brazil wants it. They even wanted to have a Brazilian pope," Kirchner was quoted as saying.

Brazil's media hit back with headlines such as "Brazil despises Argentine whining" in the Correio Braziliense.

In an effort to cool tensions over the spat, Lula had ordered his foreign policy adviser to patch things up with Kirchner's cabinet chief.

An Argentine spokesman, speaking after the dinner, quoted Kirchner said he had a good relationship with Lula.

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