Bolivia he formally became the sixth full member of Mercosur during the presidential summit the block held in Brasilia which also Paraguay received the pro-tempore leadership and Ecuador observer member, denounced destabilizing opposition attempts against of his government.
in the key of the summit, developed at the Itamaraty Palace -sede of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, at the Mercosur member countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela signed the protocol of accession of Bolivia
the document was ratified by the presidents of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner .; Brazil Dilma Rousseff ; of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes ; of Uruguay, Tabare Vazquez , and Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro , in addition to the Bolivian president himself, Evo Morales .
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela had signed in 2012 the accession protocol of the Andean country, but lacked the signature of Paraguay, then suspended by institutional coup against Fernando Lugo, in June of that year, considered undemocratic by member countries, forcing the signing today of a new text, and with built-in Asuncion.
according to the regulations of Mercosur, the accession of Bolivia as a full member now has to be ratified by the Congresses of Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, as did the parliaments of Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela.
the document signed today underscores the importance of the accession of Bolivia "to consolidate the integration process in South America, based on mutual effort and convergence of different efforts and subregional integration mechanisms. "
from now on, Bolivia will have four years to comply with the rules of the block, which means, among other conditions, to use the Common External Tariff ( . TEC), which is used in commercial transactions with third countries
the presidents today had a first private meeting, which was later joined by representatives of the partner countries: Morales; Ecuadorian vice Jorge Glas; Guyanese President David Granger; Chilean Minister Jorge Burgos; Colombian ambassador in Brasilia Patricia Cardenas; and the national coordinator of Peru for Block Marcela Lopez Bravo.
As we celebrate the entry of Bolivia, Morales stressed his "joy because after three years was accepted" his country as a sixth full member of the bloc emerged in 1991 in Paraguay.
He said wait with "great hope" the future of the regional body in which sees more "development" in the economic and political level.
Then the president of Paraguay, Cartes, received the temporary presidency of Mercosur, for six months, from the hands of Rousseff, gesture that besides the biannual summit of the block was closed.
"I feel very honored to assume the pro-tempore presidency on behalf of Paraguay" said Cartes, who reaffirmed their "commitment to the principles that inspired the creation of the bloc" and promised to lead to Mercosur for the next six months with "the greatest responsibility".
Upon receiving the handmade wooden hammer symbolizing the presidency of Mercosur, Cartes stressed that urge the bloc to propose "achievable" goals and "you realize them as quickly as possible." "There is no time to lose, let's do it now," he said.
The president stressed that Paraguay proposes a Mercosur "unhampered trade" between its members, but said that for it the political support necessary governments.
During his speech at the plenary session, Cartes, like Uruguay and Brazil, considered that the Mercosur should move forward in its negotiations with the European Union, which is dragging on for more than three decades .
it was Rousseff that put into words more clearly the commitment of Mercosur to exchange initial offers on market access with the EU in the last quarter of the year, under the association agreement negotiating both blocks.
Rousseff stressed that Mercosur wants the materialization of a "comprehensive trade agreement" with its European partners and also wants to advance in contacts with other countries to negotiate trade agreements, among which he cited South Korea and Tunisia, and said the bloc moved in the "dialogue" with the Pacific Alliance.
the block also agreed to the renewal of the Fund for Structural Convergence of Mercosur (FOCEM) finances works in various areas in developing countries block, for a period of ten years.
the leaders and representatives also heard how Maduro Venezuelan and Guyanese Granger led to full territorial dispute that both countries have in the area known as the Essequibo and exchanged some accusations, but without raising the tone.
the president of Guyana asked the Mercosur "defend" the "integrity" of the territory of their country, while Maduro said the conflict is "the product of a historical dispossession that British empire did to the homeland of Bolivar in the XIX "century.
the Venezuelan president also announced that the Unasur convene a meeting to discuss the issue in August in Asuncion.
the Vice President of Ecuador, Glas, meanwhile, denounced "attempts to destabilize" facing the government of Rafael Correa, from the series of protests in the country and which, he said, have the "final end overthrow an legitimately elected government. "
Ecuador is the scene for a month of opposition protests against proposed legal reforms setting new taxes on inheritances and real estate capital gains ago.
Glas said Correa's decision to temporarily suspend the legislative process of these laws and to urge the country to dialogue has been "a call not accepted by the opposition, but by the people." "We know we are not alone," said
. Source: Telam