Venezuela responds to Brazil chancellor

Venezuela responded to a statement made Tuesday (Aug. 2) by Brazil's Foreign Ministry José Serra on MERCOSUR'S pro tempore chair—which has been a deadlock since Friday (29), when Uruguay finished its administration without officially passing on the reins of the bloc to Nicolás Maduro's nation.

Serra sent a letter to MERCOSUR chancellors criticizing Uruguay's departure, and saying he does not acknowledge Venezuela as head of the trade group. “The presidency chair is deemed empty” by the Brazilian government, the message reads.

The foreign minister believes the decision on who is to lead the bloc should have been put off until all country members manage to break the succession impasse. The post should not be handed to Venezuela, as the Bolivarian country failed to comply with the internal norms and requirements for occupying position, Serra argues.

In a statement released Thursday, Maduro's government reiterates “its commitment with workers” despite the “moves that took place before Venezuela assumed the presidency [of MERCOSUR].”

The bloc's pro tempore chair rotates every six months in alphabetical order. Since last Friday, when Uruguay left the post, Venezuela has claimed leadership.

In Uruguay's view, there are no legal arguments preventing Venezuela from taking the position, but Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay oppose the move on account of the political situation in Maduro's country.

In July, the summit of MERCOSUR presidents, which would see the transfer officiated, was called off. MERCOSUR council meetings on the impasse were also called and subsequently canceled for lack of consensus.

Uruguay

In his correspondence to chancellors, Serra objected to Uruguay's “unilateral decision” to formally end its mandate as president of MERCOSUR. In his view, the initiative “generate uncertainties and brings the need for pragmatic measures that enable MERCOSUR to operate.”

Serra expressed his support for the solution brought forward by Argentina, which suggested a “transitional collective coordination mechanism.”

Venezuela, in turn, which describes the matter as not debatable, denounces what it calls “extreme-right machinations stemming from the south of the continent.” Venezuelans believe that Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay “have surreptitiously worked to try to deny [the country] its rightful post by legalistic devices.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira