Mercosur

• Tuesday, December 20th 2011 - 00:01 UTC

  Obama joins the Mercosur controversy over the incorporation of Venezuela

  

  President Barack Obama has accused the government of Venezuela of threatening “basic democratic values” ahead of elections next year. He added that close relations with Iran and Cuba did not serve the interests of the Venezuelan people.

• Monday, December 19th 2011 - 07:29 UTC

  Mercosur summit to deal with Venezuela inclusion and obstacles to trade

  

  A two day Mercosur summit begins Monday in Montevideo with Foreign Affairs ministers meeting Monday and the presidents on Tuesday when the rotating chair will be passed from Uruguay to Argentina for the next six month.

• Thursday, December 15th 2011 - 15:42 UTC

  Brazil ‘disappointed’ with Paraguay Senate attitude towards Venezuela and Mercosur

  

  Brazil’s International Affairs presidential advisor Marco Aurelio García admitted there is “disappointment” in Mercosur with the delay from the Paraguayan congress in approving the incorporation of Venezuela.

• Monday, December 12th 2011 - 19:54 UTC

  Mercosur planning to change rules to ensure full incorporation of Venezuela

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica announced Mercosur is considering the modification of legislation so that Venezuela can definitively be incorporated as a full member to the South American trade block, which has been blocked for several years now by the Paraguayan Congress.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 20:50 UTC

  CFK ratifies model but calls for competitiveness from labour and corporations

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández began on Saturday before Congress her second term with a seventy minutes speech strongly focused on domestic issues with clear messages to labour, corporations, the financial sector, the Judiciary but also a “fine tuning” pledge to continue with the current national, popular, inclusive economic development model.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 05:55 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil agree to jointly promote trade and manufacturing

  

  Argentina and Brazil agreed on Friday to “increase” in the “short term” regional trade in a shared strategy to address the consequences of the global crisis. The commitment was endorsed by Argentina’ Industry minister Debora Giorgi and her Brazilian counterpart Fernando Pimentel.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 05:52 UTC

  IMF praise for Uruguay but warns about the need of labour flexibility

  

  The IMF recommended Uruguay greater flexibility in the management of macroeconomic policy, ahead of unexpected changes in the international scenario.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 00:46 UTC

  Five leaders miss CFK inauguration ceremony to be aired live in Youtube

  

  The presidents of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico, Hugo Chávez, Juan Manuel Santos, Ollanta Humala, Rafael Correa and Felipe Calderón have cancelled their trips to Buenos Aires and won’t attend President Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony on Saturday.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 00:44 UTC

  CFK breaks tradition with new cabinet; metro and trains free ride on Saturday

  

  Breaking away from tradition Argentine President Cristina Fernández will swear in her second term Cabinet at the Bicentennial Museum in Buenos Aires, a ceremony that by custom has been held in the White Room at Government House, Casa Rosada.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:35 UTC

  Mujica absent from CFK inauguration following on doctors advice

  

  Uruguayan President José Mujica, 76, announced he would not be attending President Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony on Saturday after his doctor recommended he should rest for the next few days. His wife, First Lady and Senator Lucía Topolansky will be attending instead.