
Former Brazilian president and head of the Senate Jose Sarney said that the upper house has no interest “for the moment” in casting a vote on the Protocol papers for the incorporation of Venezuela as the fifth full member of Mercosur.

Spain wants to boost trade negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur when it takes over the pro tempore presidency of the block next January, according to Spanish diplomats quoted by Madrid’s main daily El Pais.

Mercosur senior partners are again clashing over trade. Brazilian government announced that it will run an exhaustive study of all the non-automatic import licenses that President Lula da Silva’s administration believes cause nothing but Argentine restrictions on Brazilian products.

Two presidents from Mercosur countries figure among the leaders with the highest approval ratings in the Americas while the other two are at the opposite end.

Former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos called for a closer dialogue between Latinamerica and Washington while de-mystifying the alleged negative influence of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in the region. He also admitted he expected “much more from Mercosur”.

Argentina and Brazil presidents are scheduled to address trade disputes, Mercosur and other coming foreign policy issues when they meet Wednesday in Brasilia for their agreed regular contacts.

Uruguay will definitively abandon Mercosur if Luis Alberto Lacalle is elected president in the run off on November 29th. Lacalle also forecasted that Mercosur as a customs union has not much time left, “it’s a dying organization”.

The Brazilian Senate agreed to postpone a full house vote on the admission of Venezuela to Mercosur given the “strained climate” generated by President Hugo Chavez who alerted his people of a “possible” war with Colombia.

Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez alert calling on the Army and the people to prepare for “a possible war” with Colombia shell-shocked the Brazilian Senate that this week is scheduled to vote on Venezuela’s full incorporation to Mercosur.

The European Union and Mercosur closed on Friday a three-day round of talks unable to re-launch the stalled trade negotiations, although both sides were quick to point out to the “advances” of the last five years.