The Union of South American Nations, Unasur, decided late Friday to lift the suspension pending on Paraguay, which will become effective next 15 August when president-elect Horacio Cartes takes office.
The announcement said the decision was adopted by the Unasur Council of Heads of State and made public via a release from the Foreign Affairs ministry of Peru since Lima currently holds the chair of the regional group.
“The decision was communicated to the Republic of Paraguay, and it will be effective as of next 15 August”, said the release.
Paraguay was suspended from Unasur and Mercosur in June 2012 in a controversial decision following the removal of Fernando Lugo and his replacement by President Federico Franco. The action took place according to the Paraguayan constitution, an overwhelming majority and was accepted by Lugo, but Mercosur and Unasur decided it had been a ‘congressional coup’.
At the time it was announced that the return of Paraguay would take place once fresh elections were held and a new ‘legitimate’ president elected.
Unasur includes Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela.
Cartes is scheduled to take office 15 August but his administration has anticipated it is in no rush to return to Mercosur until there is evidence of respect for Paraguay’s dignity, rule of the law, international law and Mercosur institutions.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesStick with it Paraguay. Wave two fingers at mercosur. While you're at it, you might as well wave two fingers at unasur. Go with the Pacific Alliance and the OAS. Both have the advantage of being legitimate, intelligent, reasoned and sane. What are mercosur and unasur if not argie attempts at continental dictatorship? Here's some clues. In argieland, CFK wants to be dictator. In Brazil, Rousseff was a terrorist. In Venezuela, Maduro is an incompetent fool. And in Uruguay, Mujica is a wimp. In Bolivia, Morales is a prima donna. And in Ecuador, Correa is just two-faced.
Aug 11th, 2013 - 05:15 am 0WELL DONE MERCOSUR!!! one small step to the unity of the continent!! You still have a way to go but you are heading in the right direction.....
Aug 11th, 2013 - 09:16 am 0Mercosur? The article is about UNASUR!
Aug 11th, 2013 - 09:31 am 0Stick to your Gibraltar articles mate. God knows you show your lack of knowledge enough on those without embarrassing yourself elsewhere.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!