Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday accused the United States of undermining the country's efforts to join the South American trade bloc Mercosur. Chavez is visiting Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay this week.
"Why can't Venezuela enter Mercosur? The order comes from Washington," Chavez said during his weekly television and radio program "Hello, President."
Venezuela signed an agreement to join Mercosur over a year ago, but its entry has not been ratified by Brazilian and Paraguayan congressmen.
The United States believes that Chavez sees Mercosur as a way for South American nations to unite against U.S. economic and political influence in the region.
Chavez said Brazilian and Paraguayan lawmakers' delay to vote to ratify Venezuela's Mercosur membership is caused by the U.S. pressure. Meanwhile, he praised Brazilian and Argentine leaders for defying the U.S. attempt to isolate Venezuela.
Chavez had threatened to withdraw its bid if it fails to enter the bloc by September, but he backtracked in his speech, saying that he did not give "an ultimatum."
The Venezuelan president also said he is interested in holding talks with Colombian leftist guerrilla groups to advance an accord to end over four decades of war in Colombia.
The Venezuelan leader is to visit Buenos Aires on Monday with promises to help Argentina financially by buying millions of dollars' worth of debt bonds, the Venezuelan embassy in the Argentine capital said.
Chávez also is visiting Uruguay, during a tour taking him to Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador, Friday said Uruguayan government sources and diplomats.
"President Chávez is coming to Montevideo on August 7-8," the official source said under condition of anonymity.
"The agenda has not been defined, but bilateral topics will be addressed," he added.
Mercopress
Show Comments (3)
Shelly
Chaves sees…
Chaves sees US’s hand in his A$$ and massaging his balls. In the photo he is saying:-“I am seeing…I’m seeing…hang on, look! It is gonna come in, ahhh!”
ch.c.
Chavez is so idiot……
…that he sees America everywhere….except in his purse !
funny that Venezuela is the only oil exporting country in the world and its currency has lost around 50 %….againsz the US$
since 2003 !!!!!
Absolutely unbeatable. Worse there is not !
And the VEP currency also lost much of its value since Chavez was elected in 1999 and until 2003.
But for his defense, during that time ALL Latin American countries have seen their currencies to collapse by around 75 % !!!
brazilian dude
Allright, everybody..Careful you don’t step on the bullshiit!
This nutcase would claim U.S. interference on solar flare activity.What he doesn’t say is he’s trying to back out of his Mercosur bid due to the rules he will have to follow once in, and also due to the fact his kleptocratic industrialist friends are scared shiitless of having to compete with Brazilian industries in a fair market. They have been coddled for too long, and have lost their edge…and they know it.