Asuncion, Jun 27 (Prensa Latina) President elect Horacio Cartes maintained his position today of making conditional Paraguay’s return to MERCOSUR, from which it was suspended after the parliamentarian coup last year.
In a brief note issued in Madrid and published here, Cartes, who is returning today to this capital, reiterated his request to be granted the presidency of MERCOSUR in order to return.
According to the established schedule, the bloc’s summit in July will focus on the possible return of Paraguay and later, in a similar meeting, the Union of South American nations (UNASUR) will do the same.
The supposed decision at the aforementioned meetings about Paraguay’s returns to both integration blocs is being hindered by Cartes’ demand to be granted pro tempore presidency of MERCOSUR, even though it is Venezuela’s turn.
The president elect said that was the way to give what he considered legitimacy to MERCOSUR, despite the statements made yesterday by Rafael de Mello, who is business charge d’affaires of the Brazilian embassy to this capital.
De Mello explained that the way to solve the normal return of Paraguay is to accept the presence of Venezuela in MERCOSUR and approve the Protocol of Adherence of the country to that authority, something that has been denied by Congress for years.
In his statement today, Cartes said that granting the presidency of MERCOSUR to him is the simplest path, because of the political part related to the votes needed to support the return to the bloc in Congress.