ARGENTINA: Brazil's Rousseff and Argentina's Kirchner welcome Paraguay back to Mercosur

Record ID: 447378

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Brazil's Rousseff and Argentina's Kirchner welcome Paraguay back to Mercosur
  • Date: 26th April 2013
  • Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (APRIL 25, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GOVERNMENT PALACE ARGENTINE FLAG ARRIVAL OF BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF AND ARGENTINA PRESIDENT CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER TO NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF, SAYING: "I think that their (Mercosur, Unasur and Celac) democratic role also represents a stabilizing role in the region. We know that we have a region without war, without ethnic conflict, without religious conflict, and has the capabilities of structuring extremely elevated consensus. I believe that we are an example for the world." PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF AND PRESIDENT CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINE PRESIDENT CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER, SAYING: "The republic of Paraguay, a Mercosur member and founder, had exemplary democratic elections, which resulted in the election of president Horacio Cartes of the Colorado Party. All the Mercosur member states welcome him and we wait for him in Mercosur, which was always the spirit in which it was laid out when the episode with president (former President Fernando) Lugo happened." ROUSSEFF AND FERNANDEZ LEAVING THE NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 11th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XAWBZSD8YR4KRIYHWNCMSH4V
  • Story Text: During an official state visit, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said they welcomed Paraguay into regional bloc Mercosur ten months after the South American nation was suspended due to the controversial impeachment of former President Fernando Lugo.
    Rousseff explained that the number of regional bodies in South and Latin America, such as Mercosur (Common Market of the South), Unasur (Union of South American Nations) and Celac (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), had provided the countries with flexibility to address any issues that might arise in the region.
    "I think that their (referring to Mercosur, Unasur and Celac) democratic role also represents a stabilizing role in the region. We know that we have a region without war, without ethnic conflict, without religious conflict, and has the capabilities of structuring extremely elevated consensus. I believe that we are an example for the world," she said at a joint news conference with Fernandez in Buenos Aires.
    The comments came during an official visit after the two leaders discussed bilateral issues in a private meeting.
    In her remarks, Fernandez congratulated Horacio Cartes for his victory in Paraguay's elections on Sunday and welcomed him to Mercosur, which suspended Paraguay in 2012 after Lugo's lightning-quick impeachment.
    "The republic of Paraguay, a Mercosur member and founder, had exemplary democratic elections, which resulted in the election of president Horacio Cartes of the Colorado Party. All the Mercosur member states welcome him and we wait for him in Mercosur, where the episode with president Lugo happened," she said.
    In June of 2012, Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop who quit the Church to run for president on a social reform program, was found guilty of mishandling armed clashes over a land eviction in which 17 police and peasant farmers were killed.
    Rousseff and Fernandez usually meet every three months, but were forced to cancel their last round of talks due to the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
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