MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Paraguay manufacturers support the country’s expulsion from Mercosur
“We’re going to lose less money”, said business leader Felippo Paraguay’s head of the Industrial Union Eduardo Felippo said that he’s supportive of the possibility that the country is excluded from Mercosur, adding that “the rest of the members are going to lose more money than us”
Interviewed by ABC Color, Asunción main daily, Felippo said on Wednesday that he had met with fellow industrialists and started working with numbers, and we agreed that “getting out of Mercosur is going to benefit us greatly”.
In the event of Paraguay been excluded from the regional block “it won’t be for us a problem” but he also said he believed “Mercosur won’t sanction us”. The diplomatic process must continue and “we will overcome”.
“Outside of Mercosur we will have greater options. We are going to develop our muscle to export to other countries, we are going to ensure that our trade partners in the future will be other countries, other continents and not our neighbours which whether we like it or not, were part of the Triple Alliance”, said Filippo in clear reference to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and a war in the mid 1800s., which decimated the Paraguayan population.
Starting on Thursday and including Friday Mercosur leaders will be discussing in Mendoza, Argentina the possibility of excluding Paraguay from the regional block in protest over the removal of former president Fernando Lugo and his replacement by Federico Franco following an overwhelming political impeachment.
Paraguay and to a great extent Uruguay, have been particularly critical of some of Mercosur decisions which they complain has become a two-member club, Brazil and Argentina, which in many cases solemnly ignore the junior members or forget to consult them.
For example had it not been for the Paraguayan situation this Mercosur summit was going to decide the increase of the common external tariff to the maximum allowed by the World Trade Organization (35% for some cases) which Uruguay and Paraguay, as small countries which need open economies, strongly rejected.
However Argentina and Brazil have been acting as if the issue had already been approved.
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Read all commentsThis is just bravado from the Paraguyan elite whose primary concern is securing their coup against the representative of the poor. The blood curling nationalist reference to the Triple Alliance, the second on here already, is worrying for Paraguay's future trajectory...
Jun 28th, 2012 - 11:26 am 0So Brazil and argieland ignore the “junior partners”? The “EU of the South”. We can all see where the “EU of the North” is going. Down the tubes. It's supposed to be a “partnership” of equals. But it's not. It's a vehicle for French and German imperialism. The British people, at least, have got wise. As have people all over Europe. France only wants to suck out money to support its antiquated agricultural system. Germany only wants to support its industrial sector where, but for the euro, most German goods would be unaffordable. Neither cares about the ordinary people of 25 other nations.
Jun 28th, 2012 - 01:13 pm 0And mercosur is no different. Except that there are fewer members. Brazil and argieland want to be “top dogs” in S. Am. That's why Venezuela or, more correctly, Chavez wants in. If he lasts, I can see him eyeing the Imperial Throne of South America. Of course, “Emperor Hugo” won't last long. His own health, the Chinese or the Russians will see to that!
Coup wise up to the populist rheotic BK. Paraguay used their constitutional authority to remove the president by congressional vote. Those theiving, populist leaders are pissed off that Paraguay removed a socialist from presidential power. They wised up and saw the path the prist was taking them. Politics has no room for religion and populism is a deadend like socialism.
Jun 28th, 2012 - 01:18 pm 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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