MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazilian congress set to approve this week compensation for Paraguayan power
Special envoy Marco Aurelio Garcia The Brazilian government is intent in increasing to 360 million US dollars annual payment for the surplus power from the world’s largest operational hydroelectric dam Itaipu, shared with Paraguay promised Marco Aurerlio Garcia President Dilma Rousseff international affairs advisor and special envoy.
“Supporting neighbouring countries is something which does not have a price for Brazil and that is why we accepted increasing the annual payment to Paraguay from 120 million to 360 million USD annually”, said Marco Aurelio.
He added that an agreement had been reached with the Brazilian congress for the approval of the 2009 Reversal notes, signed between presidents Lula da Silva and Fernando Lugo. Apparently the issue is in the congressional agenda and will be considered next week.
“This updating is not only economic, the same way the Itaipú project is not only economic, because if economic reasons were only taken into account Brazil would have built the Itiapú dam on its own”, said Garcia from Portugal where he accompanied President Dilma Rousseff on an official visit.
“Itaipú is a geopolitical issue, and today Itaipú’s geopolitical significance is not authoritarian as it was decades ago” when the dam was built said Marco Aurelio in reference to the military dictatorships that ruled Brazil from 1964 ti 1985.
The July 2009 Reversal notes which will give Paraguay access to the 360 million US dollars compensation for the surplus energy delivered to Brazil was scheduled to be considered this past week but was postponed because of the state funeral for Lula da Silva’s former Vice-president Jose Alencar.
The Itiapú Reversal notes were officially signed September 2009 and the governments of Brazil and Paraguay expect it to be approved next week in the Brazilian congress. The Paraguayan congress has already approved it.
Marco Aurelio visited Asuncion over the past week-end supposedly for a seminar on the twentieth anniversary of Mercosur. On the sides of the seminar he has a long meeting with President Lugo.
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Read all comments‘“This updating is not only economic, the same way the Itaipú project is not only economic, because if economic reasons were only taken into account Brazil would have built the Itiapú dam on its own”, said Garcia. “Itaipú is a geopolitical issue, and today Itaipú’s geopolitical significance is not authoritarian, as it was decades ago when the dam was built” he said, referring to the military dictatorships that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985.’ (Mercopress, above)
Apr 02nd, 2011 - 01:57 pm 0Undoubtably true, and though the $360million could be put to good use in Brasil, it can be put to equally good use in Paraguay, Brasil’s Mercosur partner.
Once such protocols of partnership are fixed in the modus operandi of Mercosur we can begin to move these four countries along in some sort of harmony. This good practice could serve as an example to Argentina in its dealings with Uruguay.
I have high hopes for Mercosur – it just needs four nations to start thinking of themselves as a group and acting as such, rather than as four rats in a sack.
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