"MERCOSUR has very clear rules that do not allow any member to negotiate free trade agreements outside the block." This phrase Natalio Jamer, Minister Director of Latin American Economic Integration of Chancery Argentina, seems to leave no doubts about the strict regime that the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) established with respect to the relations of its member countries in the world market.
MERCOSUR Parliament began operation in early May 2007 and was designed to institutionalize the block and give permanence and political autonomy. However, while some believe that the establishment of parliament began to build the real integration, consolidation seems far away.
"We hope that parliament will serve to generate a balanced and effective institutional framework in MERCOSUR, which allows creating rules that are effective and ensure a climate of legal certainty and predictability. Also to stimulate the formation of a collective consciousness of citizens and community values \u200b\u200bto reflect the pluralism and diversity of the region, and contribute to democracy, participation, representation and transparency, "said Silvia Lospennato, a member of High Level Technical Drafting the Protocol establishing the MERCOSUR Parliament.
Unfortunately, for now none of these objectives seems to materialize and the parliament is increasingly static. So in the last year the economic bloc of the South have become a breeding ground for Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez, to engage increasingly close ties to his announced plan to integrate Latin America. In this context, the entry of Venezuela as a full member of this body is not a utopia. Venezuela is the fifth full member prominent, a condition that does not have a view of obtaining Chile despite being the closest associate of the block and the oldest along with Bolivia. Chavez comes loaded with petrodollars necessary for highly indebted economies, and a generous offer to finance the purchase of increasingly scarce oil, looking like counterpart abundant agricultural products essential to achieve your dream one day of food sovereignty. But the road to becoming a full member of MERCOSUR is long and complicated, the acceptance of Venezuela will materialize only after they meet a series of tariff requirements and a list of commitments are difficult to reconcile.
As explained by the deputy director of MERCOSUR Integration Affairs and the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry, Nelson Fernandez, Venezuela uses the open door in the Asuncion Treaty in Article 20 of its statute, which authorizes the entry of any member country of the Latin American Integration Association, provided that such request is accepted by the four member states, as is true in this case after the formal request made in August.
"For us the entry of Venezuela is very important, helps us create a vertebra of South American integration. That is our vision and we have always made clear in front of the Brazilian Congress, "he said Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, at a meeting he had with Chavez, according to the Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias (ABN).
However, the growing links between the Venezuelan government and southernmost countries worsen lousy day to day relationship between the president and opposition media in your country. For its part, coinciding with much of the press and the scandal of the bag with money intercepted in Argentina still latent, the Caracas newspaper El Universal said that such negotiations are only the tip of the iceberg of a continent of irregularities "and" strange triangle with the southern end. "
But beyond the views that may arise from the media opposing the Chavez government, many areas in the southern tip frown integration of Venezuela to MERCOSUR, taking into account the significant benefits energy that the country could bring to the region. "Venezuela will provide oil profile of the Southern Common Market," said Nahuel Oddone, Coordinator of Latin American integration area of \u200b\u200bthe Argentine Center of International Studies (CAEI) and expanded: "In addition to the possible construction of the pipeline announced by Chávez southern is likely to materialize the partnership between energy giant PDVSA, the company ENARSA Argentina and Brazil's Petrobras. "
However, all eyes are optimistic about the potential arrival of this new member. "Chavez is the best agent that the CIA has in South America" jokes with a tinge of seriousness Lavopa Jorge, Director of Latin American Affairs of the Argentine Center of International Relations (CARI), on the aims of the Venezuelan leader in the region, and explained his idea: "Contrary to what he says, Chávez has benefited American interests much more than they have hurt, not go further to dismantle the Andean Community. " Then, to the point, Lavopa stressed that "there is a possibility that happen with the MERCOSUR."
Without straying too far from the latter idea, Natalio Jamer said that to fully explore this issue is necessary to understand that economic ties between Venezuela and the U.S. are very strong. Among other things, owns the South American country of 12,000 service stations on U.S. soil, "then declared:" This is a definition that, if the hear the authorities of Venezuela, they may be uncomfortable, but it is a fact of life, the case. " Furthermore
Romeo Perez, Director, in Uruguay, the Institute of Latin American Centre of Human Economics, and Professor of Political Science at the University of the Republic, said: "It's a very atypical entry process for what is the experience of Latin American integration, as it aims to solve compatibility tariff, trade and economic in just six months or a year from a new partner and a block that already has almost 15 years. And he warned, among the most negative consequences for Venezuela by opening their borders to free trade zone of MERCOSUR, on the "invasion" of agro-food products will suffer, with very weak sectors in the area, especially from Argentina, one of the largest agricultural exporters in the world, and Brazil, prolific in tropical foods.
Opinions vary, but the fact is that Western oil giant is increasingly coming to join the Southern Cone economic bloc. On this issue, an article published last month in Los Angeles Times highlights a specific event, which seems to be more visible from the northern tip of the continent: "It is the economic needs of South American countries which make them more receptive to a demagogue and populist leader, but his historical memory is fragile. "
