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Montevideo, March 29th 2024 - 05:24 UTC

 

 

Venezuela definitively spoils Argentina's Mercosur taking-chair ceremony

Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 02:32 UTC
Full article 12 comments
“There is no such confabulation! and ”you can't be a member of an organization with all its privileges without complying contractual obligations”, argued Malcorra. “There is no such confabulation! and ”you can't be a member of an organization with all its privileges without complying contractual obligations”, argued Malcorra.
“It was an open frank dialogue with notorious interpretation differences” admitted Malcorra while Rodriguez said she was demanding respect for Venezuela “It was an open frank dialogue with notorious interpretation differences” admitted Malcorra while Rodriguez said she was demanding respect for Venezuela
“We explained to the minister that there was no invitation extended to her country to attend” the XIth Extraordinary meeting of the Mercosur Council “We explained to the minister that there was no invitation extended to her country to attend” the XIth Extraordinary meeting of the Mercosur Council
Later in the day the Venezuelan embassy in Buenos Aires released a video showing Rodriguez pushing and shoving her way into the foreign ministry building Later in the day the Venezuelan embassy in Buenos Aires released a video showing Rodriguez pushing and shoving her way into the foreign ministry building

If Venezuela's intention was to spoil Argentina's ceremony as the new holder of Mercosur pro tempore chair for the next six months, they certainly managed. A low key event at foreign ministers level, instead of a presidential summit, was briefly interrupted by the uninvited attendance of Venezuelan foreign minister 'Delcy Rodríguez' who turned up in Buenos Aires to protest what Caracas considers a Mercosur confabulation against Venezuela, suspended from the block since last 2 December.

 In a conference press Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra emphasized there “was no confabulation” from the four founding members of Mercosur against Venezuela, which was suspended from the group for not having complied, despite all the additional time extensions, with the adherence protocol to enjoy its condition as the fifth full member of the group.

“There is no such confabulation, there is a decision to allow Venezuela the right to defense” since “you can't be a member of an organization with all its privileges without complying with contractual obligations”, argued Malcorra.

The Argentine minister revealed that before the Mercosur chair-taking ceremony with its peers from founding members, (Jose Serra, Brazil; Eladio Loizaga, Paraguay and Uruguay's Nin Novoa), she met for over an hour with Venezuela's Rodriguez who expected to participate in the meeting.

“We explained to the minister that there was no invitation extended to her country to attend” the XIth Extraordinary meeting of the Mercosur Council, while Rodriguez made it plain clear that “Venezuela rejected the arguments of the decision suspending” her country.

Malcorra and Rodriguez were later joined by Uruguay's Nin Novoa and Bolivia's foreign minister David Choquehuanca who arrived in Buenos Aires with the Venezuelan minister early dawn Wednesday.

“It was an open frank dialogue with notorious interpretation differences” admitted Malcorra while Rodriguez said she was demanding respect for Venezuela and for her 'as a woman', and “this event today has the purpose of excluding the Venezuelan development model”.

Later in the day the Venezuelan embassy in Buenos Aires released a video showing Rodriguez pushing and shoving her way into the foreign ministry building, while ex president Cristina Fernandez and Bolivarian revolution militants supporters backed her and antiriot police tried to impose some order.

“Despite the fact these presidents don't want Venezuela to participate, well we will go in through the window because we've come here to defend the rights of Venezuela and also the rights of Mercosur”, Rodriguez was recorded on the video.

On Wednesday afternoon the Venezuelan minister met with a pro Bolivarian foundation in Buenos Aires and was pictured with a plastered arm supposedly because she was beaten by a policeman during the morning's shoving, according to the Venezuelan embassy.

Nevertheless Malcorra was optimistic about Venezuela's return to Mercosur, once it complies with all basic commitments particularly on trade and human rights.

”Tomorrow (Thursday) in Montevideo Venezuela will begin to implement the mechanism to solve controversies contemplated in the Olivos Protocol“, said Macorra, who despite admitting the ”enormous differences between Venezuela and Mercosur founding members, I'm optimistic“.

When Venezuela finally joined Mercosur as full member in 2012, the rest of Mercosur was ruled by supposedly ”progressive“ governments, however this has drastically changed probably with the sole exception of Uruguay. Brazil and Argentina, senior members of Mercosur are ruled by clearly conservative governments who condemn Venezuela for its feeble democracy and violation of human rights.

Paraguay's minister Loizaga acting as spokesperson for the group had repeatedly insisted during the week that Venezuela had been suspended and had not invited to the Wednesday ceremony in Buenos Aires. From Caracas, president Maduro claimed it was ”a coup“ against Venezuela and if ”they close the door on us, we will jump in through the window“.

Malcorra finally informed that Argentina has taken the pro tempore chair of Mercosur for the next six months and revealed that together with her peers it was decided to actively promote the block to other markets and conform integrated negotiation teams to jointly address the issues of Mercosur agenda.

”Our top priority is to move forward with current negotiations for a free trade accord with the EU, and to advance in other options with Japan, India, Canada, China and the US”.

Top Comments

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  • bushpilot

    Then “pay-your-bills”.

    How much of a frickin' brain dead, thick skulled, neanderthal do you have to be to not understand that simple concept.

    Some day these troglodytes are going to be Venezuela's worst memory.

    This stunt they are pulling is to keep themselves from being embarassed. But if they had even an ounce of cranial material, to avoid embarassment, they would have done what they could to keep their commitments.

    Dec 15th, 2016 - 04:23 am +2
  • Tarquin Fin

    This clearly shows what insane populism is capable of doing. Whatever CFK owes to chavismo it is her sole responsibility. They should have known better before trying to finance this extension of the cuban revolution.

    Dec 15th, 2016 - 03:33 pm +2
  • Jack Bauer

    If Delcy (appropriately, a brand name for bog roll in Brazil) was not invited, why didn't the Argentine Federal Police simply bar her entry and put her on the first plane back to VZ, after she arrived in Ezeiza ?

    It's amazing how it's always the CFK supporters (and those who defend Bolivarianism) who cause trouble . Exactly the same thing in Brazil.....the protesters who wanted Dilma out, and who are now pressuring Congress to pass essential laws for Brazil's recovery, have always been peaceful, causing absolutely no public disruption.....while literally, in every single protest organized - and subsidized - by the PT and the left-wing unions, either during or after there has been violence against the press, destruction of private and public property, and blocking of roads and highways with burning tyres and trash....there is a very big, and clear difference in their objectives.

    Dec 15th, 2016 - 06:07 pm +2
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