MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur is ‘quite discredited’ and needs Paraguay back to ‘clean its image’

Ambassador Chase Plate: Paraguay is not an easy nut to break

Mercosur needs suspended Paraguay to return to the group because it has ‘to clean its image’ and because its international standing has fallen quite seriously, said a former Paraguayan ambassador suggesting Asuncion should not rush, since the initiative must come from Mercosur.

“Paraguay should not rush in its attempts to return to Mercosur. They (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela) need Paraguay urgently since they can’t negotiate with the European Union, unless Paraguay is back in, and they also had a similar situation when they applied to become observers of the Pacific Alliance”, revealed veteran diplomat and former ambassador before the OAS, Luis Enrique Chase Plate.

“The time will come when they will beg Paraguay to return actively to Mercosur. They have become a discredited group, and they will ask us to join them at the summits” added Chase Plate.

Mercosur is no longer a trade group, a customs union but rather “a political entity which has nothing to do with the original charter of the (1991) Asuncion Treaty”

Ambassador Chase Plate said that in reality “the rest of Mercosur members fear Paraguay since the country remains openly against the ‘forced’ incorporation of Venezuela to the group”.

“They’ve come to realize that Paraguay is not an easy nut to break, since it remains committed to that tradition of firmness” he added.

Paraguay was suspended from Mercosur in June 2012 following the impeachment of Fernando Lugo and his removal from office. He was replaced by current president Federico Franco, all of which was done following the Paraguayan constitution and accepted by Lugo.

However Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay described the situation as a “congressional coup”, suspended Paraguay from Mercosur and at the same time agreed to incorporate Venezuela as full member, without the consent of Paraguay thus violating the consensus-clause of the charter.