MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay vetoes Cuba's entry to Mercosur.

Argentina and Brazil want Cuba to become an associate member of Mercosur, but have come across Uruguay's negative says the latest edition of the Brazilian magazine Epoca.

According to the magazine, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had assured Cuban leader Fidel Castro that he would obtain full support from Argentine president Nestor Kirchner for the integration initiative.

Apparently Mr. Lula da Silva was firmly behind the initiative until his last September trip to Cuba.

But now "liberal Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle has decided to veto the initiative" arguing that the Mercosur treaty has a Brazilian sponsored clause "impeding relations with countries in the fringe of democracy", says Epoca.

Mercosur full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Chile and Bolivia as associates, and as of November Peru with a similar link.

Last September 27 Mr. Lula da Silva officially visited Cuba and expressed Brazil's economic and trade interest with the Habana government. This was stamped with twelve cooperation agreements.

Brazilian businessmen travelling with Mr. Lula da Silva committed 200 million US dollars investment in the Cuban tourist industry.