The program of events to celebrate the 20 years of the Treaty of Asunción, the founding block of Mercosur (26 March 1991) will have to be rescheduled because Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff won’t be travelling to Paraguay next 26 March.
United States considers Mercosur as an “anti American” organization and fears the incorporation of Venezuela to the group made up of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay according to one of the latest Wikileaks to see light in the River Plate press.
The Paraguayan government announced Thursday it will insist with the Congressional approval of Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur, which remains stalled at the country’s Legislative branch.
European Union Trade commissioner Karel de Gutch said Monday he strongly believes the EU will reach a trade agreement with Mercosur because “this is the moment” and both sides are committed to conclude negotiations positively.
The European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht will travel next week to Paraguay and Uruguay to reinforce bilateral relations and to advance on the ongoing EU/Mercosur negotiations to reach an overall trade and cooperation agreement.
Paraguay the only Mercosur member with no formal diplomatic relations with China-Beijing, --since it only recognizes Taiwan--, is scheduled to open a trade office in Hong Kong (Peoples Republic of China) some time in the next few weeks.
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.
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’.
Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo will be attending the Mercosur summit this week following on Argentina’s guarantee that the blockade on Paraguayan goods and merchandise imposed by an Argentine maritime union will be lifted, effective Monday.
Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo confirmed Sunday he would not be participating of the Mercosur summit next December 17, unless there is a quick solution to the blockade of Paraguayan trade by Argentine maritime unions, announced Sunday afternoon Foreign Affaire minister Hector Lacognata.