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Brazilian president urges LatAm to settle political differences, bolster cooperation

Xinhua, December 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Latin America has the capacity to settle its political differences and needs greater cooperation, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said here Monday.

When addressing the 49th Summit of Mercosur, a regional bloc grouping Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, Rousseff said, "I want to underscore Latin America's capacity to channel its differences."

She cited the recent presidential and legislative elections in Argentina and Venezuela, which prove the region has developed strong political institutions that can reflect the will of its people.

Rousseff also called for greater cooperation and integration among members of the bloc through the elimination of trade barriers.

"Brazil will work toward this. I believe everyone here understands the importance of eliminating trade barriers in order to move Mercosur forward," the Brazilian president said.

However, Argentina's newly sworn-in President Mauricio Macri made a discordant tone at the summit, by calling on Venezuela to free all political prisoners.

Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Delcy Rodriguez, attending the summit on behalf of President Nicolas Maduro, denounced the request as "intervention" in Venezuela's domestic affairs. Endi