Mercosur

• Saturday, December 18th 2010 - 00:11 UTC

  Mujica calls on other Latinamerican countries to join Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica called on the Mercosur summit for a quick incorporation of Venezuela as full member of the group and said it was time the rest of Latin America moved closer to the integration process.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 23:58 UTC

  Venezuela crucial to consolidate “energy front” says Cristina Kirchner

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underlined the significance of Venezuela as a full member of Mercosur which should enable the group to consolidate an energy front.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 23:12 UTC

  Paraguayan president confirms Mercosur/EU trade agreement is top of the agenda

  

  Conditions are ready to reach in the short term a trade agreement with the European Union, said Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo whose country, and for the next six months, holds the pro tempore chair of the South American block.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 07:17 UTC

  Mercosur after closer trade relations with Cuba, Palestine, Syria and NZ

  

  Member nations of Mercosur will seek to boost economic and political ties with Cuba in a bid to make the island an associate member of the trade bloc.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 07:11 UTC

  Mercosur condemns UK on Malvinas; promises to monitor shipping in support of oil activities

  

  The Mercosur summit approved Thursday a declaration protesting “formally and energetically” UK’s decision to hold military exercises in the Malvinas islands and reiterated support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic Islands.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 06:45 UTC

  Mercosur summit launches ambitious action plan to ensure customs union

  

  Mercosur leaders meeting in Brazil launched a plan to adopt common trade, investment and immigration policies to help underpin unprecedented economic growth in the region.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 06:42 UTC

  Paraguayan industry calls Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite”

  

  The Paraguayan Industrial Union, UIP, called Brazilian president Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite” for making promises he never honoured, and attacked President Fernando Lugo for generating ‘overblown fantasy expectations’.

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:58 UTC

  Australia present at the Mercosur summit in Brazil

  

  Australian Foreign Secretary Kevin Rudd will be present at the two-day Mercosur summit which begins Thursday in Foz de Iguazu. Rudd met on Wednesday with his Brazilian peer Celso Amorim ahead of the summit and in the framework of the “Australia-Brazil Dialogue” created last September.

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:45 UTC

  Trade among Mercosur members forecasted to reach 42 billion USD

  

  Trade between the four member Mercosur block is expected to reach 42 billion US dollars in 2010 revealed Argentine Industry minister Debora Giorgi who on Thursday will be participating of the Mercosur summit in Foz de Iguazu, Brazil.

• Wednesday, December 15th 2010 - 05:53 UTC

  Mercosur: a High Representative post to create “consensus” in summit’s agenda

  

  Mercosur could end up with a High Representative post following this coming presidential summit in Foz de Iguazu. According to Brazilian sources the initiative has been discussed with partners Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and should be approved next Thursday/Friday.