MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela next Mercosur member.

Venezuela has the full backing of Brazil and has been invited to participate in the Mercosur presidential summit of next June in Asunción, Paraguay, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will formally request to become an associate member of Mercosur.

The announcement was made in Brasilia during President Chávez official state visit where he openly supported Brazil and Mercosur' stance that the group must first consolidate before involving in further negotiations to create a free trade association of the Americas. "We expect to join Mercosur at the end of the year", said Mr. Chávez adding that: "Venezuela's policy is to speed and strengthen regional integration processes. That is the only way we can sit to discuss with more powerful nations". Mr. Chávez visit is part of Brazil's strategy before the coming Quebec presidential summit at the end of April when US President George W. Bush is expected to push for accelerating the creation of a free trade area engulfing Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. This is the eighth visit of president Chávez to Brazil since he was elected in 1998. Mr Chávez also announced that Venezuela expects to act as the natural link between South America's two main trade groups, Mercosur and the Andean Community, and further into the Caribbean states. The Andean Community is comprised of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Venezuela is South America's main oil producer and a significant United States supplier. President Chávez recently extended to oil dependent Caribbean states, including Cuba, a highly subsidised supply system, with an obvious political feedback. Once Venezuela joins only Perú, Ecuador and Colombia will be out of Mercosur. However Argentina's position regarding new Mercosur members is not entirely clear.