MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay’s Vice-president contrary to Venezuela joining Mercosur

Federico Franco reflects the strained relations inside the Paraguayan ruling coalition

Paraguay’s Vice-president Federico Franco said he was contrary to Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur as long as Hugo Chavez is president accusing him of having “imperial attitudes” towards the land-locked country.

“Chavez has an imperial attitude towards Paraguay; he tends to accuse other countries of imperialism, but he’s the only imperialist when it comes to Paraguay”, said Franco in an interview with ABC, the country’s daily with the largest circulation.

“It seems ironic but the good health of Mercosur depends on the Paraguayan Senate. The tiniest and smallest country of Mercosur has the responsibility of saving Mercosur, or eventually signing its death certificate” underlined the Paraguayan leader who has a strained relation with President Fernando Lugo.

Paraguay is the only Mercosur full member (the others are Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay) which has still to approve the incorporation of Venezuela to South America’s main trading block.

President Lugo openly supports Chavez and his administration but the Senate is dominated by the opposition. Last August Lugo withdrew the Venezuela membership issue because he was warned there were not enough votes to support the initiative.

Meanwhile Foreign Affairs minister Hector Lacognata called on Congress members not to act “with pre-concepts or half truths” and put all elements on the table when the moment to discuss Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur comes (some time next March).

“We must look at all inconveniences and benefits”, said Lacognata underlining that the current format of Mercosur with four countries under the strong hegemony of one of them, Brazil, “dose not benefit small members and should be reviewed with the incorporation of new members such as Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia…”

Laconata mentioned the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, as an example to follow. “Different alliances are possible with certain countries which mean the weight of one is not so preponderant”.

Former catholic bishop Lugo was elected president in 2008 with the support of a catch-all alliance headed by the Paraguayan Liberal party, but has since split loosing cohesion and a working majority in Congress.