Argentina

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:32 UTC

  Astori describes Mercosur latest decisions as “aggression and major institutional blows”

  

  “It’s a major institutional blow, maybe the most serious in the 21 years of Mercosur” said Uruguayan Vice president Danilo Astori in direct reference to the group’s decision to incorporate Venezuela with the approval of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the absence of Paraguay.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:31 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil deny Uruguay and insist the decision on Venezuela was unanimous

  

  Argentina underlined late Monday that the decision on the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur was “unanimously” supported by the presidents from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay during the group’s summit last Friday hosted by President Cristina Fernandez.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:24 UTC

  Uruguay says it accepted Venezuela in Mercosur as part of a major negotiation

  

  The Uruguayan government said that it accepted the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur as part of a “negotiation” in which it demanded no economic sanctions on Paraguay and that is why “the last word has not been said” on the issue.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:14 UTC

  Brazilian opposition blasts Rousseff for the management of Paraguayan situation

  

  The leading member from Brazil’s main opposition political party described Uruguay’s claim that consensus was absent in the Mercosur decision to suspend Paraguay and to incorporate Venezuela as “extremely serious” and complained Mercosur has become a merely “ideological” grouping.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 02:50 UTC

  Mandela’s eldest daughter South Africa’s ambassador to Buenos Aires

  

  Argentina has handed Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, credentials as South Africa’s ambassador to Buenos Aires, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 00:55 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina to benefit most from Venezuela’s Mercosur incorporation

  

  The formal incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur next July will benefit mainly Brazil and Argentina since they could considerably increase their exports to the oil-rich country at the expense of the local production sector weakened by the economic policies from the administration of President Hugo Chavez, according to analysts.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 23:42 UTC

  Uruguay says it was Brazil that forced the incorporation to Mercosur of Venezuela

  

  The Uruguayan government revealed on Monday its disagreement with the way Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur was decided last Friday at the summit held in Mendoza, Argentina, and said “it was not the last word” since the process must be reviewed from a juridical point of view.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 23:36 UTC

  Jeremy Browne alerts Argentina against Falklands’ politicization of London Olympics

  

  In an interview to British newspaper Financial Times, United Kingdom’s Foreign Office Minister for South America, Jeremy Browne, alerted Argentina against the politicization of the London Olympics, set to begin on July 27th by bringing up claims over the Falklands.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 06:11 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez calls on regional unit to neutralize the global crisis

  

  President Cristina Fernández took to her Twitter account to say that “the fundamental goal in the unity of the region must be to make sure that the global crisis has the less kind of possible impact in the development of our nations.”

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 01:00 UTC

  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur” claims top Brazilian businessman

  

  Brazilian businessman Rubens Barbosa, head of the foreign trade council of the Sao Paolo Federation of businessmen said on Sunday that in the last six months, the Argentine presidency of the bloc implemented measures that practically killed the Mercosur.
  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur,” he predicted.