South American trade bloc divided over Venezuela's presidency
Xinhua, August 5, 2016 Adjust font size:
Representatives from the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) countries were divided Thursday over Venezuela's takeover of the bloc's presidency.
Venezuela was supposed to take over the presidency of Mercosur, which groups Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, on Monday.
Representatives from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay believed that Venezuela's current crisis means the country is not positioned to assume presidency.
Uruguay, however, maintains that the alphabetical order must be followed and Venezuela must take over the rotating presidency from it as planned. It also rejected a proposal by Buenos Aires that Argentina, being next in line, should take over the presidency.
Paraguayan Deputy Foreign Minister Rigoberto Gauto said the countries would meet again in the next few days to seek a political solution.
Earlier in the day, Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra proposed that Mercosur create an "informal council" to oversee the bloc's affairs until January 2018, when Argentina is scheduled to take over the presidency.
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay of forming a "triple alliance" in favor of the United States.
Maduro is facing a recall referendum spearheaded by the opposition. Endi