CARACAS, Thursday October 29, 2009 | Update
Economy
Caracas Metropolitan Mayor Antonio Ledezma promised to insist on requesting the Brazilian Senate a commission to visit Venezuela, after its refusal to send an "inspection mission" in order to check the presence or the absence of democracy indicators in the country.
"I will insist for some Senators, on their own initiative, can come to Venezuela, as could be the case of Senator Acevedo, who is the president of the Committee and told me personally that he is willing to come to our country," the Mayor said.
Ledezma said that the Venezuelan government is in a difficult situation, because if Venezuela's protocol of accession to the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) is finally approved, "it will have to settle issues that are not easy at all; for instance, adaptation to a new tariff system and overcoming barriers such as price controls and restrictions to Venezuelan merchants and businessmen," he said.
04:20 PM. Western Hemisphere. Colombian President Álvaro Uribe said on Tuesday that governments should ensure citizens' rights to live on the border, in reference to a political and diplomatic crisis with Venezuela and its effects on border residents.