Paraguay

• Friday, August 5th 2016 - 19:50 UTC

  Mercosur founding members agree to disagree, but will hold another round of talks

  

  Mercosur founding members coordinators who met in Montevideo on Thursday to address the controversy over the presidency of the group and the self proclamation to the post by Venezuela, did finally reach some conclusions, but the most significant seems to be that they continue to disagree on the steps to follow and are prepared for another round of talks.

• Wednesday, August 3rd 2016 - 06:10 UTC

  Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay consider Mercosur chair 'vacant' and call for urgent meeting

  

  Mercosur's disarray and fault lines were again exposed when Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay insisted that Venezuela's self proclamation as president of the group was invalid, and also expressed disappointment with Uruguay for having ended its mandate last Saturday causing “great uncertainty”.

• Wednesday, August 3rd 2016 - 06:02 UTC

  Venezuela rejects call for Mercosur meeting and claims a conspiracy against Bolivarianism

  

  Venezuela rejected Argentina's call for an urgent Mercosur meeting and underlined it is exercising the group's pro tempore presidency “legally” accusing Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay of being part of a Triple Alliance which is re-editing “a sort of Plan Condor against Venezuela to harass and criminalize its model of development and democracy”.

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2016 - 06:52 UTC

  Mercosur in a state of disarray; Venezuela's presidency disavowed by Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

  

  Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay have announced they do not support Venezuela as the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur, further deepening controversy in the group which could even hinder ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union and closer links with the Pacific Alliance.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 06:30 UTC

  Mercosur: Brazil and Paraguay's rejection of Venezuela is “a desperate attitude”

  

  Brazil and Paraguay's rejection to Venezuela holding the Mercosur rotating chair sounds much like a “desperate” attitude, but nevertheless it is unpostponable, said Venezuela foreign minister Delcy Rodríguez: ”it is impossible that the compliance of the (Mercosur) treaty can't be respected”.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 05:39 UTC

  Mercosur limbo: Uruguay's presidency is over, who will hold the rotating chair ?

  

  Uruguay made public on Friday a letter sent to Mercosur fellow full members stating the finalization, this Saturday 30 July, of its six-month presidency of the group, which means the rotating chair “should be transferred to Venezuela”. The letter was accompanied by a 32 page report of its six-month as chair of the group, particularly intense because of the trade negotiations with the European Union.

• Thursday, July 28th 2016 - 11:23 UTC

  Uruguay will transfer Mercosur chair to Venezuela, despite objections from Brazil and Paraguay

  

  Despite objections from Brazil and Paraguay, Uruguay next Saturday 30 July will transfer to Venezuela the rotating chair of Mercosur for the second half of the year, as indicated in the “group's rules and regulations”.

• Monday, July 25th 2016 - 11:20 UTC

  Paraguay and Brazil reiterate “Venezuela is a non full member of Mercosur”

  

  Paraguay announced officially that it will not be attending the Common Market Council of Mercosur in Montevideo next 30 July, if the agenda includes the transfer of the group's presidency to Venezuela.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2016 - 06:35 UTC

  Rousseff's great mistake was to allow Venezuela into Mercosur, says Brazilian minister

  

  Brazil committed a great mistake on supporting Venezuela to the Mercosur trade agreement back in 2012, and the country must be impeded from taking over the pro-tempore presidency of the group until it complies with all the requisites to be a full member, said Brazil's foreign minister Jose Serra.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2016 - 05:11 UTC

  Mercosur asks Venezuela for 'democratic and human rights gestures' before transferring the group's chair

  

  Mercosur members are requesting from Venezuela concrete gestures in favor of democracy and human rights if they are to consider the transfer of the group's pro tempore chair from Uruguay to Caracas, pointed out Paraguayan foreign minister Eladio Loizaga a day after the group was unable to reach a consensus on the issue that has become particularly controversial when not frustrating.