MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Strong criticism to “bi-lateralization” of Mercosur block

Former uruguayan Pte. Sanguinetti

The “bi-lateralization” of Argentine-Brazilian relations and the incorporation of Venezuela are factors grinding the basic structure of Mercosur, said Uruguay's former president Julio Maria Sanguinetti during a recent visit to Paraguay.

"Facts are showing us that Brazil and Argentina have bi-lateralized in a most evident way their relation and the conditioning of Mercosur and this is extremely negative for an association of four members" said Sanguinetti according to an interview with the French press agency AFP. Sanguinetti was in Paraguay a special guest of the Reverend Moon to participate in a seminar entitled "Towards a new paradigm leadership and government in times of world crisis", which also included among the guests President George Bush's youngest brother, Neil Bush. The delegates to the seminar sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation also met with Paraguayan president Nicanor Duarte Flores. Sanguinetti pointed out that Argentine and Brazilian presidents have been meeting regularly, and deciding, leaving aside Mercosur junior members, Paraguay and Uruguay. "They decide to build a dam upriver Uruguay without consulting Uruguay that has a big dam further down the river. That is when you get the feeling that our sovereignty is being affected and the functionality of Mercosur is questioned". Sanguinetti also mentioned that when the two senior members decided to build an atomic submarine, "well something like that should not be decided between two partnersâ€Â¦ but at least an opportunity should be given to the other members to be informed". However the news about the building of an atomic powered submarine was later denied both by Brazil and Argentina. The former Uruguayan president also said he was against the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur, which will be "a motive of friction". Although he admitted ideological affinities could play a role in Venezuela becoming a member, "it would be a mistake to admit the Hugo Chavez administration because Venezuela does not belong to the south (of South America) and has little affinities with us". "Venezuela has a foreign policy different to all our governments" emphasizing its permanent confrontation towards United States while the rest of Mercosur has close trade and political links with Washington. Sanguinetti pointed out as a "major fiasco" believing that ideological affinities among presidents of the region would help with improved relations. The current Socialist oriented ruling coalition in Uruguay "believed that a great Mercosur insertion was ahead but it turned out to be a major fiasco: relations with Argentina are very bad and from Brazil there's only indifference" indicated Sanguinetti. "This comes to prove that international politics has no room for political affinities", he concluded.