Venezuela likely to be suspended from Mercosur: Brazil sources | Reuters

By Alonso Soto | BRASILIA BRASILIA Venezuela will probably be suspended from the Mercosur regional trade bloc for failing to meet membership requirements, three Brazilian government sources said on Thursday, in another blow to Caracas during a deep political and economic crisis. Venezuela had until Thursday to meet requirements that included economic, human rights and immigration accords governing the group, whose other members are Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and regional diplomatic heavyweight Brazil.“Venezuela has not adopted all the membership rules and treaties it had promised,” said one official directly involved in the decision, who requested anonymity to be able to speak freely. “Everything indicates that Venezuela will be suspended starting in December.“Sources said they expected Mercosur to decide on Thursday or Friday to suspend Venezuela. However, an Argentine government source said later on Thursday that the decision would not happen until a Dec. 14 meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers.Socialist-led Venezuela has it will not leave Mercosur and has denounced what it calls a campaign by right-leaning Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to expel it from the group. Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday said via Twitter that Venezuela had called on member countries to activate a mechanism for “resolutions of conflicts,” tweeting a complaint letter sent to Mercosur foreign ministers. “Venezuela must be respected!” Rodriguez said on Twitter. “Officials who adhere to imperialist mandates will not win against our fatherland.“The suspension would not carry any sanctions against Venezuela but would sideline its government from bloc meetings and trade negotiations, the Brazilian officials said. A suspension would also further isolate Venezuela as it struggles with food shortages and social unrest as its oil-dependent economy crumbles. Brazil’s foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.Tensions within Mercosur reflect the changing political landscape of a region that has turned to conservative governments after years of domination by leftist leaders buoyed by a commodities boom. Some Brazilian officials had considered delaying the suspension to avoid hampering Vatican-led negotiations to ease the political crisis in Venezuela, but they later dropped those plans, said another official. Businesses in Brazil have complained that the presence of Venezuela, which joined the bloc in 2012, has delayed key trade and regulatory decisions.“It’s a political decision that shows Mercosur countries trying to be in line with the global reality,” said Roberto Ticoulat, head of the Brazilian Council of Commercial Exporters and Importers. “Brazil needs to be part of global trade, and we can’t wait any longer.” (Additional reporting by Maximiliano Rizzi in Buenos Aires, and Corina Pons and Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Marguerita Choy)

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