MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Mercosur chair not interested in restoring normal relations with US
Venezuela says it's ending talks with the United States to restore normal relations because Washington's UN ambassador-designate criticized its human rights record. Venezuela currently holds the chair of Mercosur. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesSo what!
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 07:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0Can someone please tell me how this impacts anyone.
Venezuela, touchy as are most autocratic nations, gets upset because someone said something. Talk about a massive inferiority complex. After 200 years of independence the US is the world's most powerful nation. After 200 years of independence Venezuela is one of the world's most violent economic basket cases.
I'm happy that Venezuela do not 'normalise' with the USA - only VE loses from this;
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 10:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0but if VE extends this to Mercosur via their period of chairmanship, that would be unacceptible.
It would, however, clarify whether the primary rationale of Mercosur remains trade, or (as I believe) it has mutated into yet another primarily political organisation.
The absence of a close-focussed world trading bloc will relegate the majority of the Continent, once more, to 'the favela backwardness'.
2 GeoffWard2
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 12:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I was going to post the same, so I will just say I agree completely.
These 'leaders' of SA really are just little children and completely bereft of any mature thought.
“Venezuela says it's ending talks with the United States to restore normal relations because Washington's UN ambassador-designate criticized its human rights record.........”
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 02:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The Venezuelan spokesperson ended by sticking his tongue out, blowing a raspberry and flouncing off in a great big huff.
Honestly. It's like dealing with school children.
Agreed, the real question is are they rejecting “normalisation” as Ve, or as the chair of Murcosur, or both
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 03:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It’s long since now that the political dimension of Murcosur, outweighed the trade side of the equation.
The Pacific alliance seem to be well on its way to becoming the regional trade bloc, countries queuing up to get in.
Brazil is probably big enough to make its own Bi-lateral agreements.
Those left out are likely to catch a bad cold, or worse, from all this.
2 GeoffWard2 . Completely agree with your comment . The Maduro presidency will only lead to more ideology and less trade .
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 03:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So, the US cooled negotiations and threatened The Birdman of Caracas with repercussions if he offered Snowden asylum. Birdman realises he has blown it so makes an excuse to be offended. The equivalent of being rejected and claiming he didn't want it anyway, so there.
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 04:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So what? The Colombian born Maduro is not likely to last long in the Presidency once the truth of his birth certificate is determined.
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 07:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So..... nothing to do with this at all?
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 07:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Kerry subsequently called Jaua and threatened unspecified action if Snowden wound up in Venezuelan hands.”
and by unspecified........
“U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua Washington would end all sales of gasoline and other refined-oil products to Venezuela if Snowden is given refuge in that country.”
.......if that was not enough.......
“the United States has warned Venezuelan officials of dire consequences -- including being barred from entering any NATO airspace ”
.....guaranteed to sour relations, I would say
@9
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 08:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“the Spanish report said, citing sources familiar with the conversation.”
That well known Spanish newspaper ABC!!
7 Elaine B . You put is so well .
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 09:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sounds about right.......Bullying is standard US practice....
Jul 22nd, 2013 - 09:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Venezuela........lunatics running the asylum!
Jul 23rd, 2013 - 12:27 am - Link - Report abuse 0'The Dog that didn't Bark'
Jul 23rd, 2013 - 09:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0I think many of us have the wrong perspective on the US actions over Snowdon.
There is an immediate downside to the publication of the PRISM and allied programmes, but that can be handled by 'media-response' counter-argument of 'the greater good', etc.
No, the most important thing is the timely exercising of the full power of the state to display, to the US domestic community and - importantly - to the world, the massive but largely unobserved power of the US machine of state.
The official virtual silence on the matter, combined with heavy, behind-the-scenes arm-twisting (some would say, bullying), is saying to the US citizen and the world:
“The Constitution is what WE say it is, no more, no less”.
“You are not in charge, WE are”.
“Do NOT go up against us; you will not win ... ever”. And
“We are resolute that you WILL be destroyed if you do”.
This is a *Democrat* administration doing this, it is not the Republicans. The shadowy USA-machine of raw power is shouting to the world that its power is not to be under-estimated.
Geoff
Jul 23rd, 2013 - 10:56 am - Link - Report abuse 0If you are surprised it must be because you actually thought the US administrations were the ones to pull the strings...
If such exposure helps any incumbent US president to bring the excessive activities of his/her intelligence & defense community more under the control of the administration of the day, this can only be a good thing.
Jul 23rd, 2013 - 12:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The Constitution is there for a purpose, and any actions beyond its words must be at the behest of the president; and the president will be judged - as would any citizen - in the light of his decisions. He is not above the law ... and neither are those in the US shadows.
Venezuela says it's ending talks with the United States to restore normal relations because Washington's UN ambassador-designate criticized its human rights record and said he preferred Daquiris to Margheritas.
Jul 23rd, 2013 - 12:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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