This August 15, Mercosur will lift the suspension on Paraguay’s participations that has held since June 29 2012, Uruguay representative Luis Almagro has announced.
«We have followed the election process in Paraguay, which will permit on August 15, with the inauguration of president [Horacio] Cartes, the lifting of the suspension,» Almagro said on Thursday, during a meeting with other members of the bloc, under the auspices of the summit for the Common Market Council (CMC).
«Paraguay has the support of all Mercosur’s members,» Almagro added, but he confirmed that during the presidential summit on Friday the pro tempore presidency would pass to Venezuela.
«The only thing we cannot give [Paraguay] is the presidency that belongs to the new members state. Apart from that, they will always have the friendship of the Mercosur countries,» he explained.
Paraguay will reject the chance to rejoin if Venezuela takes the presidency, which is why they will have to wait and see how the political negotiations still taking place to find a solution conclude.
The nation has been suspended from the regional bloc, as well as UNASUR and CELAC, for more than a year, as a reaction to the dismissal of then president Fernando Lugo, who was impeached through the lower house for what was termed «poor administration».
Source: Buenos Aires Herald