Economy
October 26

Venezuela's entry into Mercosur sparks intense debate in Brazil
A strong political debate was held on October 26 in the Brazilian Senate, whose Committee on Foreign Affairs would vote on October 30 the ratification of the protocol of Venezuela's accession into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), signed in July 2006.

The parties opposed to the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which are against the approval of the protocol, convened Caracas Metropolitan Mayor, Antonio Ledezma, to speak on October 27 before the Committee.

At the same meeting, David Bittan, the Vice President of the Confederation of Israelite Associations of Venezuela (CAIV) will speak before the Brazilian senators. Bittan will reiterate his complaints about persecutions of Jewish people by the government of Hugo Chávez.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Régis Arslanian, Brazil's representative to Mercosur and the Latin American Integration Association (Aladi), will speak on October 27 in defense of the accession of Venezuela.

October 27

Caracas Mayor urges Brazilian Senate not to isolate Chávez
Caracas Metropolitan Mayor, Antonio Ledezma, a leading opposition figure in Venezuela, met on Tuesday four hours with the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Brazilian Senate and requested it to allow the entry of Venezuela into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur).

The Mayor said that rejecting the protocol of accession does not serve the interests of democracy in Venezuela: "The more isolated (Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez) is, the more dangerous he is for the country," Ledezma said, as reported by DPA.

Ledezma said that Chávez, "is playing at being isolationist", as reflected in his decision to withdraw Venezuela from the Andean Community of Nations and the deterioration of relations with countries such as Colombia, United States and Israel.

Meanwhile, Ledezma's testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations was welcomed by the Brazilian government. Alexandre Padilha, the Brazilian Minister of Institutional Relations, said that the presence of Antonio Ledezma "is important," because he is one on the most prominent opponents of Chávez, and despite this, he is defending the approval of the Protocol of Accession.

Brazilian businessmen support Venezuela's entry into Mercosur
José Francisco Marcondes, the President of the Federation of Venezuelan-Brazilian Chambers of Commerce, said on October 27 that an eventual veto to the entry of Venezuela into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) would be "a rejection to any regional integration project."

Integration "can not be seen from a political point of view, since it creates an unnecessary polarization" that harms the business climate, Marcondes said about the heated debates that have accompanied the proposal to allow the access of Venezuela into the bloc comprised by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce said that Venezuela's entry into the economic bloc would further enhance trade and investments.

He mentioned the case of Brazil, whose companies are developing infrastructure projects in Venezuela for a total of USD 15-20 billion," Efe reported.

October 28

Caracas Mayor urges Brazilian Senate not to isolate Chávez
Caracas Metropolitan Mayor, Antonio Ledezma, a leading opposition figure in Venezuela, met on Tuesday four hours with the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Brazilian Senate and requested it to allow the entry of Venezuela into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur).

The Mayor said that rejecting the protocol of accession does not serve the interests of democracy in Venezuela: "The more isolated (Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez) is, the more dangerous he is for the country," Ledezma said, as reported by DPA.

Ledezma said that Chávez, "is playing at being isolationist", as reflected in his decision to withdraw Venezuela from the Andean Community of Nations and the deterioration of relations with countries such as Colombia, United States and Israel.

Meanwhile, Ledezma's testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations was welcomed by the Brazilian government. Alexandre Padilha, the Brazilian Minister of Institutional Relations, said that the presence of Antonio Ledezma "is important," because he is one on the most prominent opponents of Chávez, and despite this, he is defending the approval of the Protocol of Accession.

October 29

Brazilian Senate Committee approves Venezuela's entry in Mercosur
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Brazilian Senate approved on October 29 Venezuela's Protocol of Accession to the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) and will submit it to the plenary session of the Senate for a final vote, which could be held next week.

The entry of Venezuela to South America's biggest trade bloc, which has already been endorsed by the parliaments of Argentina and Uruguay and is awaiting debate in the Paraguayan Congress, was approved, after a heated argument, by 11 out of the 19 members of the Committee, most of them Congressmen of the ruling party group.

Opposition Senator Tasso Jereissati, the rapporteur of the group, had recommended keeping Venezuela out of the trade bloc, in a report that harshly criticized the alleged "authoritarian character" of President Hugo Chávez.

During the debate, the opposition reiterated its rejection of Venezuela's entry into Mercosur, due to the alleged "lack of freedom" in the South American country, which they described as "violations of the democratic clause" that is in force in the bloc.

Brazilian senators reject "inspection visit" to Venezuela
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Brazilian Senate rejected on October 29 a proposal to send a delegation to Venezuela to investigate allegations of human rights violations by the government of President Hugo Chávez.

The proposal presented by Senator Mozarildo Cavalcanti, of the Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), was based on a suggestion made on October 27 by Antonio Ledezma, Caracas Metropolitan Mayor, DPA reported.

Romero Jucá, the leader of the ruling party group in the Brazilian Senate, instructed the members of the group to vote against the proposal, saying that the Brazilian Parliament must not "meddle" in Venezuela's internal policy affairs.

The Senator of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) said that the debate in the committee should be limited to voting on the protocol of accession of Venezuela into the Common Market of the South (Mercosur).

October 30

Venezuela's entry into Mercosur "shelved" in Paraguay
The accession of Venezuela as full member of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) will continue to be "shelved" in the Paraguayan Congress, at least until early next year, two senators of ruling party Alianza Patriótica para el Cambio (APC) told DPA.

Sixto Pereira, Vice President of the Paraguayan Senate and leader of the Tekojojá party said that the Congress is unlikely to address the issue this year because "there are not political conditions and the correlation of forces" is not favorable.

He said that the decision of the Brazilian Senate Committee "may influence" the will of the Paraguayan opposition, which so far has refused to accept the entry of Venezuela due to several economic, political and ideological reasons.

"Members of the traditional parties have continuously expressed their views against (Venezuela's entry)," Pereira complained. However, he added that "Brazil's stance can be an element of pressure."

Meanwhile, Senator Luis Alberto Wagner, who is a member of the liberal party (Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico, PLRA), agreed with Pereira and said that "for now" Venezuela's entry into the economic bloc will not be included in the Congress' agenda.

"Most of the legislators do not want to," Wagner said in reference to the opposition block which includes the Colorado Party, the National Union of Ethical Citizens (Unace), led by Lino Oviedo, and the Dear Fatherhood (Patria Querida) party and "some liberal lawmakers."