MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
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Mercosur meets in Caracas to consolidate `'joint and only presentation' before EU
Venezuelan foreign minister Jaua was the spokesperson for the group Mercosur members will be holding an extraordinary meeting in Caracas on 15 November to define an 'only joint position of the group ahead of the presentation to the European Union, in the framework of negotiations for the trade and cooperation accord, said Venezuelan foreign minister Elías Jaua.
“We've called for a special meeting on 15 November in Caracas with the purpose of consolidating the Mercosur presentation”, said Jaua following a meeting of foreign and economy ministers from country members held in the Venezuelan capital.
Representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela, subscribed a communiqué in which they underline the need for the agreement with the EU “to respect the different degrees of development between the two blocks”.
Paraguay which is also a member of Mercosur, but did not sign the communiqué, has yet to be fully reincorporated following a 14-month suspension that was lifted last 15 August.
“This includes the power to implement policies that preserve the development model with social inclusion that have allowed our countries in recent years to experience significant growth rates in a context of international crisis”, pointed out the ministers.
In what seems a direct reference to comments regarding the possibility that some of the group's members could opt for unilateral negotiations with the EU, the communiqué makes it a point to establish that “the development of this Mercosur process will have an only position among its member countries”.
The EU and Mercosur resumed in May 2010 negotiations to reach a trade treaty started in 1999, but which stalled in 2004 because the sides could not advance on the proposals referred to agriculture (of interest for Mercosur) and industry and services (of EU interest).
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Read all comments14 years and counting just for a FTA.
Nov 05th, 2013 - 12:20 pm 0What a waste of time and effort. I guarantee that, IF an agreement is reached and is signed and ratified by all mercosur members, argieland will breach it within 12 months. Would mercosur accept an agreement that excludes argieland? IF there's an agreement, best ensure that it's written in unequivocal language. Just look what it does to the UN Charter. The Charter refers to “peoples”. So argieland defines what constitutes “a people” and then says the Falkland Islanders don't comply with ITS definition. So argieland is prepared to sink to the level of arguing over the semantics of the language in a document written 60-70 years ago. Why not? Argieland has, over the years, proved that there isn't any level it won't descend to. Timerman at the UN set out the evidence of the British “militarisation” of the South Atlantic. And every single word was a lie. Unless, at some stage, he mentioned that he had his finger up his arse. Irrespective of any other consideration, exclude argieland or there's no deal. Besides, nothing from latam is worth having.
Nov 05th, 2013 - 02:00 pm 0So, Mercosur's VE, BR, AR, and UR are to produce 'their joint and only' remit for the stalled trade bloc negotiations with the EU.
Nov 05th, 2013 - 03:57 pm 0This must be to define the parameters for Paraguay's leadership role in the process of winning the trade deal between the two blocs.
Talk about giving a bloke the remit and then hog-tying him!
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