Paraguayan Foreign minister Jose Fernandez Estigarribia said on Monday that so far Asuncion has not received any invitation from Mercosur to attend the coming summit at the end of June, and there haven’t been any talks about the issue. Last week the Argentine ambassador in Uruguay Dante Dovena had anticipated that Paraguay would be attending the Mercosur summit.
The Argentine ambassador to Uruguay, Dante Dovena, assured that authorities are “working intensely” in preparations for the next Mercosur summit scheduled to take place on June 28th in Montevideo. However news form Paraguay doesn’t indicate the same optimism and are demanding respect for ‘the country’s dignity and rule of the law”.
President Federico Franco said Paraguay has long cancelled its debts for the construction of two huge shared hydroelectric dams with its powerful neighbours and demanded Argentina pay for the surplus energy it receives and compensation for flooding Paraguayan territory.
Paraguay has made official its request to become an observer of the Pacific Alliance, (Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru), as part of its policy to strengthen relations with other countries that goes beyond Mercosur and has proven very successful for the exchange of experiences.
Paraguayan president elect Horacio Cartes transition team said that Venezuela should be present at the inauguration ceremony of the new head of state scheduled for 15 August, despite the ‘current circumstances’ of bilateral 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.
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.
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.
By R. Viswanathan (*) - Horacio Cartes of the Colorado party won the presidential elections held last Sunday in Paraguay. The Colorados had ruled the country continuously for 61 years in a one-party dictatorship until 2008 when Fernando Lugo, the leftist “Bishop of the Poor” defeated the Colorado candidate and made history.
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.