Brazil and Mercosur Partners Officially Take In Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil and Mercosur Partners Officially Take In Venezuela
Written by Marcela Rebelo
Monday, 12 December 2005
The Mercosur Council formally approved Venezuela's request to be accepted as a full member of the group. The negotiations to concretize Venezuela's accession are expected to get underway by May 15, 2006.

This information was given by the national coordinator of the Mercosur, Carlos Amorin. In his speech at the 29th Mercosur Summit Meeting, the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, thanked Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay for "opening the Mercosur's doors."

He said he has heard criticisms that his presence will end up politicizing the Mercosur, and he commented that this could - and should - occur.

"The Mercosur cannot be just an economic project, but a political one, in order for it truly to belong to the people, a collective project," he affirmed.
(snip/...)

http://www.brazzilmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4779&Itemid=49

[Peace Patriot]

1. Well, I thought I knew some things, but I've never heard of the Mercosur

Council.

The above article cannot really be understood without the lower part of it:

"He (Chavez) pointed out that, as an oil and gas power, he can contribute to the group. The Venezuelan President also emphasized that his country's entry into the Mercosur should not damage its relations with the Andean community.

"'The objective is for all these mechanisms to relate to one another,' he said.

"Chavez also observed that, in his opinion, social issues should be given priority in the Mercosur.

"'Poverty levels should not be viewed as each country's separate problem.' He commented that the Mercosur should work together. 'Economic integration exists, but more spirit of solidarity and cooperativism is needed,' he remarked.

"According to Amorin, the Council also approved other important projects, such as the Mercosur Parliament, which will be headquartered in Montevideo.

"According to him, the Parliament will be in operation by December, 2006. At the Summit, the president of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, took over the pro tem presidency of the Mercosur from the Uruguayan president, Tabaré Vásquez. Kirchner's term of office is six months."

http://www.brazzilmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4779&Itemid=49

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Here's a clue*:

"In August, the president of the Brazilian Association of Meat Export Industries (Abiec), Pratini de Moraes, had said that Brazilian beef exports anticipate higher earnings, if negotiations with the European Union over tariffs on products sold to the economic bloc are successful.

*"The countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) are negotiating with the European Union to reduce tariffs on meat. Brazil would be the biggest winner."

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/263/41/


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So, Mercosur (the Southern Common Market) is something like the EU--the European common market--and is getting more organized (a parliament) and including more countries (i.e., Venezuela). I hope it doesn't run into the same problems that the EU and institutions like the World Trade Organization have gotten into, of being or becoming too big and too far removed from the problems of ordinary people. Brazil was a leader of recent revolts by 3rd world countries against the lack of democracy in the WTO and the bullying of the poorer countries by the big rich industrialized and mostly western/northern financial powers like the US and the EU. (WTO policy impacts on places like So. Korea and India, for instance, have resulted in many thousands of suicides among small farmers. And entire economies, like Jamaica's, have been nearly destroyed--a complete loss of local ag and dairy, and thus Jamaica's ability to feed itself, by US ag dumping of US ag products at low prices--and inferior products at that, powdered milk vs. fresh milk. Upshot: US global corporate predator retailers then came in with sweatshops for cheap, dependent labor.)

I see where Chavez may be going with his remarks about Mercosur being a collective project of the people (not ruled by banks, corporations and other predators), the importance of political as well as economic cooperation (all are targets of US exploitation in one way or another--which works in cahoots with fascist elements--and of course have been for centuries), and his emphasis on social issues and poverty. Brazil now also has a leftist government, but it's bigger than Venezuela and has a lot more problems. Venezuela's main problem is that it has a lot of oil (it supplies 15% of US oil). It is thus a special target of the Bush Cartel. But also, if the oil is used right (as Chavez is doing)--to provide services to the poor, who have never before been served by government, to build schools and community and health centers, to provide small business loans and distribute unused land--to build infrastructure and economic diversity for the future--then the oil is a blessing not a curse, if the US can be held off from assassinating Chavez and/or invading his country.

Being part of an economic block that has political clout could help fend off the Bushites' frequent attacks on Chavez and his democratic government--including a coup attempt, and funding the oil elite opposition's political attacks on Chavez with our taxpayer dollars--recall attempts, and rightwing media harassment of the kind we have in this country. Chavez's elections have been monitored by hundreds of international election monitors, including the Carter Center, and have been unanimously found to be honest and aboveboard. He is hugely popular in Venezuela, and has a lot of really smart people working for him and supporting him in the legislature.

www.brazzilmag.com has a whole bunch of articles down its left side (past articles) that look interesting, about jobs (on the increase, especially female employment), agriculture, economics, problems of child labor and slavery, and a host of other matters.

www.venezuelanalysis.com is also a good source. Excellent articles on Chavez.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Bush has dispatched both Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice to Brazil

and to Argentina to try to intimidate Lula da Silva and Kirchner to the point they would turn away from doing any further business with Chavez. It's simply wonderful that they have basically told him to pound sand, and are proceeding exactly as if they'd never gotten the threats and warnings.

It's about time Latin America and the Caribbean got back the self-respect and peace which were forcefully stollen from them through decades of violent coups, managed elections, and genocide sponsored by our right-wing Republican Presidents and various American-owned colossal companies.