
Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota confirmed on Thursday that Paraguay’s suspension from Mercosur will be in the agenda of the coming presidential summit, next 12 July in Montevideo.

One of Mercosur ‘main obstacles’ is political and has its origin in Argentina, a country that is ‘extremely protectionist’, said the president of Brazil’s National Agriculture Confederation, CAN, Senator Katia Abreu currently in Brussels promoting the idea of a bilateral Brazil/EU free trade agreement.

Mercosur needs suspended Paraguay to return to the group because it has ‘to clean its image’ and because its international standing has fallen quite seriously, said a former Paraguayan ambassador suggesting Asuncion should not rush, since the initiative must come from Mercosur.

President Dilma Rousseff ratified Latinamerica and Mercosur as Brazil’s foreign policy priorities, but at the same time emphasizing the ‘excellent relations’ with the United States and the European Union.

Paraguay president-elect Horacio Cartes ratified he will not be attending the coming Mercosur summit scheduled to take place July 12 in Montevideo, confirmed one of his foreign policy advisors since the Paraguayan position remains that “Venezuela is not a full member of Mercosur because the Paraguayan congress by overwhelming majority rejected such option in August 2012”.

Venezuela “is not part of Mercosur, it was not ratified by the Paraguayan congress” according to one of the main foreign policy advisors of president elect Horacio Cartes who is scheduled to take office next August 15. Meanwhile Paraguay continues to advance it its intention of belonging to the Alliance of the Pacific.

The next Mercosur summit scheduled for the end of June in Montevideo has been delayed until 12 July, announced Uruguayan Foreign minister Luis Almagro. The new date was agreed by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela earlier this week.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica called on Spain for a more decisive role in the trade and cooperation agreement discussions between Mercosur and the European Union which have been going on for over a decade.

Paraguay is considering the announcement made by Uruguayan president Jose Mujica who suggested delaying the coming Mercosur summit in Montevideo scheduled for the end of June, ‘to wait and give time for Paraguay’ (currently suspended) to return to the block.

US Vice-President Joe Biden wound up a visit to Brazil on Friday saying it was high time the two largest economies in the Americas became closer partners in trade, investment and energy. He made the statement following a ‘wide-ranging discussion’ with President Dilma Rousseff at the Planalto palace in Brasilia.