Paraguay

• Monday, May 6th 2013 - 07:36 UTC

  Paraguay supports Mexican candidate for WTO; ignores Brazilian hopeful

  

  Paraguay made public in Geneva its support for Mexico’s candidate Herminio Blanco as the next Director General of the World Trade Organization. The other hopeful who reached the final round is from Brazil, Roberto Azevedo. On Tuesday it should be known who will succeed the current head Pascal Lamy as of next September.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:47 UTC

  Venezuela’s Maduro talks to Cartes and calls for re-establishment of relations

  

  In a surprise move Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro talked on Tuesday to Paraguay’s president-elect Horacio Cartes to congratulate him on Sunday’s election and express interest in retaking the “rhythm of bilateral relations”, which were interrupted when the removal of Fernando Lugo.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:23 UTC

  Unasur greets president elect Cartes and congratulates the Paraguayan people

  

  The Union of South American Nations, UNASUR, congratulated the Paraguayan people for their civic commitment in last Sunday’s presidential election and greeted Horacio Cartes, who was the winner with 46% of ballots.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 05:56 UTC

  South American football president resigns on ‘health and personal grounds’

  

  South American football president Nicolas Leoz has resigned on Tuesday from FIFA powerful executive committee on “health and personal” grounds. Leoz was accused by the BBC Panorama program in November 2010 of taking bribes in the 1990s from the now defunct sports rights agency ISL.

• Tuesday, April 23rd 2013 - 04:23 UTC

  United States, Peru and Chile congratulate Cartes and the Paraguayan people

  

  United States, Peru and Chile among others extended their congratulations to president-elect Horacio Cartes and to the Paraguayan people for the ‘extraordinary’ Election Day last Sunday and their significant turnout in such special circumstances.

• Tuesday, April 23rd 2013 - 02:23 UTC

  Cartes pledges allegiance to Mercosur: abandoning it ‘would be utterly nonsense’

  

  President-elect Horacio Cartes said that even when some aspects of Mercosur can be improved it “would be utterly nonsense” to abandon the block since it generates many jobs in the country, attracts investment and is an opportunity to open markets.

• Tuesday, April 23rd 2013 - 02:04 UTC

  Brazil conditions Paraguay’s return to Mercosur to approval of Venezuela’s membership

  

  Brazil conditions the immediate return of Paraguay to Mercosur to the approval, by the new congress, of Venezuela’s full incorporation to the trade block, according to the influential Folha de Sao Paulo quoting foreign ministry reliable sources.

• Monday, April 22nd 2013 - 07:49 UTC

  Cartes invites the opposition to work with him and sends message to Brazil

  

  In his victory speech Paraguay president-elect Horacio Cartes said he expects to win the confidence of all the Paraguayan population and called on the opposition to work for the good of the nation. He also had a direct reference to the neighbouring giant saying he wanted to work with Brazil, a ‘brother-country’.

• Monday, April 22nd 2013 - 07:26 UTC

  Cartes, a self-made millionaire who has pledged to transform Paraguay

  

  President-elect Horacio Cartes is one of Paraguay's wealthiest men with businesses in tobacco, finance, farming, retail and the soft drinks industry among others. Brash and ambitious, Cartes had never voted before joining the conservative Colorado Party in 2009.

• Monday, April 22nd 2013 - 06:40 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez and Mujica tell Cartes, Mercosur ‘is waiting for the return of Paraguay’

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez congratulated Paraguayan president-elect Horacio Cartes for his ample victory in Sunday’s election and said Mercosur was waiting for the return of the country to the trade block.