
The Mercosur summit which meets this week, December 6/7 in Brasilia is scheduled to debate the incorporation of Ecuador and Bolivia to the regional block which earlier this year, after waiting since 2006 finally integrated Venezuela as full member.

The Paraguayan congress was strongly supported at the Latinamerican Parliament, Parlatino, which during the XXVIII ordinary session voted against an Argentine motion to have it suspended.

Latinamerican countries most of which recognize Palestine as a free and sovereign state, helped this week with their votes to elevate the status of the Palestine Authority to “non member observer” which was approved this week by an overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly.

The Organization of American States, OAS, is sending a top electoral observation official to Paraguay to sponsor national political dialogue and make preparations for the OAS mission that will be following the electoral process leading to elections.

Brazilian Executive special advisor on International Affairs, Marco Aurelio Garcia anticipated that at the coming summit in Lima, the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, would not lift the suspension on Paraguay which will hold until April’s election.

Foreign minister David Choquehuanca argued that Bolivia can become a full member of Mercosur and continue with the Community of Andean Nations, CAN, and can’t be forced to abandon a block to join another.

Unasur special envoy Salomon Lerner said he returns to Peru with “a good impression” of the Paraguayan electoral process and the overall situation of the country.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and Paraguay signed an agreement this week to send observers to the April 2013 elections. OAS contrary to Unasur and Mercosur did not describe Paraguay political events of last June as “a rupture of the democratic process” or a congressional coup and has been supportive of the country.

Brazil, Bolivia and Chile had the best ‘business climate’ in Latin America during October according to the Economic Climate Index, ICE from the Brazilian think-tank Getulio Vargas Foundation, FGV.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica appealed to workers and entrepreneurs to avoid an escalation of salaries and prices which leads “to all sort of fiddling” as is happening in Argentina.