Castro pops in on trade summit

Castro pops in on trade summit Cuban leader Fidel Castro Thursday made a previously unannounced visit to the Mercosur trade summit in Cordoba, Argentina and is expected to sign Mercosur trade agreements Friday.
   Castro, who will turn 80 in August, made an increasingly rare personal appearance outside Cuba. Several heads of state from Latin America are at the summit, and the MercoPress News Agency reported Castro is expected to meet with other national leaders, particularly Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales.
   The Mercosur nations include Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. Cuba is an 'associate' member of Mercosur, as are Chile and Bolivia.
   The Mercosur meeting is expected to focus on ways to increase Latin American exports, and will also include discussions on various trade agreements involving member nations. That includes not only agreements between Latin American countries, but the trade policies those countries have with nations outside of Latin America, various reports on the summit indicated.