Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle advocated a free trade deal between Europe and Latin America while also defending Germany's position in the debt crisis on the opening day of his tour of Latin America.

Brazil takes the helm of the South American trade bloc Mercosur in the summer, a moment Westerwelle said could prove a tipping point in the trade discussions. Mercosur groups Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

"We count on the Brazilian presidency [of Mercosur] in the second half of the year" to make progress, Westerwelle said at a joint press conference, alongside his Brazilian counterpart Antonio Patriota.

Talks between the EU and Mercosur have faltered so far, with European agriculture subsidies - a common bone of contention with emerging markets around the world - the major sticking point. Surplus food stocks from Europe are often offloaded cheaply in places like Latin America, impacting negatively on local producers.

Conceding that reaching a deal would not be easy, Westerwelle said Berlin would use "all its weight to ensure that negotiations succeed," a pledge echoed by Brazil's foreign minister.

'More Europe, not less'

Westerwelle also addressed the powerful Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) in the capital Brasilia, defending the eurozone's reaction to its debt problems, and saying the solution was "more Europe, not less." He rejected criticisms that Germany - as the bloc's largest economy - was imposing its will on others.

"We do not want a German Europe, but a European Germany," Westerwelle said.

Brazil is to be the theme country for Germany's annual technology trade fair CeBIT, with President Dilma Roussef set to open the event in the northern city of Hannover during a visit to Germany in March.

Westerwelle will also visit Peru, Panama and Mexico on his eight-day tour of Latin America, but not before visiting Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, host cities for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics respectively, to try to secure German involvement in the preparations.

msh/mz (AFP, dpa)