Mercosur brings together Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and includes Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as associate members. Venezuela signed a membership agreement in 2006 but is awaiting full membership.

Mercosur ties recently have been clouded by differences over trade. The heads of state attending the talks will aim to resolve trade disputes, especially those between Argentina and Brazil, conference officials said.

The preliminary discussions were marked by meetings of foreign affairs ministers, economy ministers and governors of central banks.

Buoyed by Brazil's vast new oil wealth, and recent explorations for oil and gas elsewhere in Latin America, including Chile, Mercosur nations want to give a new push to longstanding plans to pool resources and explore potential new oil and gas fields.

Brazil leads the way in technologically advanced capacity to explore for oil and gas offshore in basins and continental shelves. However, Brazil's neighbors have been wary of giving too much control to Brazilian companies for fear of being dominated by Brazil. Most have indicated they prefer to deal with Brazil rather than contractors from outside the continent.

Officials said the conference proceedings would likely be attended by several heads of state, including host Uruguay's Tabare Vazquez, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Paraguay's Fernando Lugo and associate member Chile's President Michelle Bachelet.

Security was tight throughout the day and officials said more stringent precautions would be in place when the top-level talks begin Tuesday.

Delegates said they feared the conference agenda could be derailed if Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe turned up. Chavez has been conducting a bitter -- and sometimes personal -- campaign against Uribe for allowing U.S. forces to share Colombian military bases in the war on drug gangs and their terrorist associates. Both are less than full members, however, with Venezuela awaiting full membership and Colombia retaining its associate status.

Delegates said radical and more populist participants wanted to divert attention away from an agenda of closer cooperation for development of natural resources, a theme favored by host Uruguay.

Discussion is also likely to be centered on a much-delayed Mercosur Customs Code that member countries hope will eliminate prohibitive double tariff charges.

Brazil is pushing for an initiative involving Argentina and Uruguay to explore for oil and gas offshore in Uruguay following a bidding process.

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