COFFEE CONFERENCE ENDS WITH CALL TO CONTINUE TALKS
A meeting of eight Latin American
coffee producers ended with a call for continued talks aimed at
arriving at an agreement to stabilize international prices.
    A statement delivered by the conference's president,
Nicaragua's External Trade Minister Alejandro Martinez Cuenca,
said the object of future meetings would be to seek
negotiations leading to basic export quotas.
    The meeting was attended by representatives from Brazil,
Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. A Panamanian representative attended the meeting as
an observer.
    Representatives at the meeting said efforts would continue
to be made to reach a regional consensus on export quotas which
could be presented to the International Coffee Organization.
    In opening the meeting, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega
said the lack of an accord on export quotas was behind falling
coffee prices, which he said have caused billions of dollars in
losses to countries in the region.
    Jorio Dauster, president of the Brazilian Coffee Institute,
said his government is committed to working towards an
producers accord in order to bring about higher prices.
 REUTER
