Mercosur

• Saturday, July 13th 2013 - 13:34 UTC

  Mercosur blasts EU countries over Morales incident and condemn US electronic surveillance

  

  Mercosur leaders agreed on Friday to call home for consultation their ambassadors to Spain, France, Italy and Portugal to protest last week's forced diversion of the Bolivian president's aircraft. They also strongly defended their right to offer asylum Friday, venting anger at claims of US spying in the region while intelligence leaker Edward Snowden's fate hangs in the balance.

• Saturday, July 13th 2013 - 02:24 UTC

  “Mercosur has closed its doors to Paraguay”, reacts Asuncion to the Venezuelan presidency of the group

  

  “Mercosur has closed its doors to Paraguay and it’s not good for Latinamerican integration”, was the first reaction from Asuncion after the group announced the presidency for Venezuela and lifting the suspension of Paraguay next 15 August.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 23:00 UTC

  Maduro pledges his priority as Mercosur chair is the full active return of Paraguay

  

  President Nicolas Maduro remembered former leader Hugo Chavez and pledged his main priority as president of Mercosur would be to ensure the quick return of Paraguay to the group. Maduro made the statement on Friday in Montevideo during the ceremony in which he received the official Mercosur presidency gavel from Uruguayan president Jose Mujica which means he will be holding the pro tempore chair for the next six months.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 20:17 UTC

  Belonging to Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance is ‘not incompatible’ says Uruguay

  

  Uruguay Vice-president Danilo Astori said that belonging to Mercosur and the Alliance of the Pacific is ‘not incompatible’ and called on the ‘powerful members’ of Mercosur to support an agreement with the Pacific Alliance of which Uruguay and Paraguay are already observers.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:33 UTC

  Mercosur social summit criticizes the Pacific Alliance and blasts free trade

  

  The Mercosur social summit questioned any possible approach to the Alliance of the Pacific since it is an organization entirely dedicated to trade which would distract the Southern Cone countries from their social objectives.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:16 UTC

  Mercosur will lift Paraguay’s suspension next August 15, announced Uruguay

  

  This coming August 15, Mercosur will lift the suspension on Paraguay's participations that has held since June 29 2012, Uruguay Minister Luis Almagro announced on Thursday during a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in Montevideo.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 07:50 UTC

  With Guyana and Suriname all South American countries are Mercosur associates

  

  Suriname and Guyana signed on Thursday the protocols to become associate members of Mercosur which is currently holding its mid year summit in Montevideo. This means all South American countries are now part of Mercosur.

• Thursday, July 11th 2013 - 07:26 UTC

  Summit in Montevideo could further expose the fragility of a Mercosur turned political

  

  President-elect Horacio Cartes will not make any comments on the ongoing dispute of Paraguay with Mercosur until after the group’s summit in Uruguay next Friday, when official decisions on the subject are expected to be made public. However for both sides any decision will most probably be challenging and ratify that Mercosur has become a political group far from its original trade and investment purposes.

• Wednesday, July 10th 2013 - 06:09 UTC

  Mercosur and Paraguay on collision course; Uruguay insists Venezuela will hold the chair of the group

  

  Paraguay reiterated on Tuesday that if Venezuela assumes as pro termpore chair of Mercosur, it is not interested in returning to the group and discarded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pledge to ensure Paraguay is fully reincorporated.

• Tuesday, July 9th 2013 - 01:50 UTC

  Paraguay not interested in Mercosur if Venezuela holds the chair, says top official

  

  Paraguay called for practical sense from its Mercosur partners Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to try and overcome the current impasse which could lead to a rift if Venezuela occupies the chair of the group at this week’s summit in Montevideo. Paraguay does not recognize Venezuela’s full membership because it was decided in its absence.