MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maduro apologizes to Paraguay for any ‘pain’ caused and promises ‘to repair the error’

Cartes,Maduro and Dilma during the recent Unasur summit in Paramaribo

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro apologized to his peer Paraguayan peer Horacio Cartes for any ‘pain’ caused to Paraguay and promised a ‘sacrifice’ to repair the ‘error’, according to sources from both presidents and from Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff who sponsored the meeting between the two heads of state in the framework of the recent Unasur VII summit in Suriname.

Venezuela and Paraguay have diplomatic relations at their minimum level following events of June 2012 relative to Mercosur membership controversy and the fact that Nicolas Maduro at the time Foreign minister of deceased president Hugo Chavez was declared ‘persona non grata’ by the Paraguayan Senate.

“I’m highly grateful to President Dilma for her efforts; this is the second time she has asked me to talk with President Maduro and insists on the importance that all of us should be united in Mercosur”, said President Cartes.

The Paraguayan leader also “publicly thanked Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro for his willingness to repair any error, pain or injury that he might have caused to the Paraguayan people”, revealed Cartes.

However Cartes also pointed out that the situation of Paraguay with Venezuela “is not only a problem of the Executive, but also of the Legislative and the Paraguayan people, and in the framework of the dignity of our country”.

“It was a cordial distended meeting with Dilma present and with President Maduro. I look forward to an integrated America”, said Cartes later in his mini-blog and twitter, after the discussions. 

Maduro was also on his twitter and described the event saying: “a good meeting with president Dilma and president Cartes. I ratified my respect and love for Paraguay!!

However no documents or other information were released about the following steps from this first positive approach of the two leaders, or about future diplomatic discussions.

The previous Paraguayan government under President Federico Franco blamed Venezuela as one of the sponsors of isolating the country and having Asuncion suspended from Mercosur and Unasur, following the impeachment in the Senate, with an overwhelming vote, which decided the removal Fernando Lugo from office for incompetence.

At the time Foreign minister Maduro was caught on tape trying to convince the top commanders of the Paraguayan armed forces to take to the streets in support of the removed Lugo.

Paraguay was not only suspended from the two regional groups, but in its absence the remaining Mercosur members (Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay) approved the incorporation of Venezuela as full member and awarded it the chair of the group for the next six months. This decision went over the Paraguayan Senate which had yet to take a vote on the matter, which was ignored, when all Mercosur major moves must be by consensus and with all members participating.

The first request from Dilma Rousseff was during the inauguration of President Cartes last 15 August in Asuncion. Ceremony to which President Maduro, despite holding the chair of Mercosur was not invited.