Meeting of Mercosur countries finds no immediate solution to presidency impasse

Representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay who met Tuesday here in search of a solution to the deadlock of the Southern Common Market's (Mercosur) rotating presidency failed to issue an official announcement.

After the meeting, Paraguayan Deputy Foreign Minister Rigoberto Gauto told a press conference that "there had been a lot of closeness" during the meeting, but he provided no further details.

"The meeting focused on further strengthening and outlining the paths we really have to follow," he said.

The five-nation trading bloc has been divided in two since late July. Venezuela was supposed to take over the bloc's rotating presidency from Uruguay on Aug. 1, but Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay feel the country's spiralling economic crisis and political problems make it unfit to assume the leadership role.

Venezuela and Uruguay, however, have insisted that the order of rotation be respected.

Without waiting for an approval of other members, Venezuela has stated that it will begin legislating for the Mercosur bloc.

While no deal appeared to have been found at this latest meeting, from which Venezuela was absent, Caracas announced that it had invited all the Mercosur countries to attend a summit on Wednesday at Mercosur's headquarters in Montevideo.

So far, none of the other member countries have confirmed their intention to attend. Endi