Only days after several UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) representatives said they would not attend the Sixth Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit if Honduran President Porfirio Lobo was invited, the Spanish Government has decided to exclude him from the meeting, according to sources in the Brazilian Government.
Paraguayan opposition and media strongly criticized Brazilian president Lula da Silva’s for not keeping his Itaipú dam-controversy promises and allegedly for conditioning further assistance to the approval by the Paraguayan congress of Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur.
A Brazilian non government organization which defends the rights of homosexuals launched a campaign to protest President Lula da Silva’s visit to Iran scheduled for next May 15.
Brazil’s ruling coalition president candidate Dilma Rousseff will continue with the current economic policies of the government boosting the role of state corporations if successful in the coming October election, said José Eduardo Dutra, president of the Workers' Party.
Brazilian president Lula da Silva is expected in Montevideo, Uruguay Tuesday afternoon to hold talks with his counterpart Jose Mujica, following the Unasur extraordinary presidential summit in Buenos Aires.
President Lula da Silva reassured Paraguay that Brazil will build the promised 500 kW power transmission line from the Itaipú dam to the capital Asunción, as well as a bridge over the Paraná River shared by both countries.
The extraordinary summit of presidents of countries members of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is to debate next Tuesday in Buenos Aires an agenda dominated by the intention of former Argentine president Néstor Kirchner to run for the post of Secretary General of the regional bloc.
Honduras President Porfirio Lobo confirmed he would be participating of the European Union-Latin America-Caribbean summit scheduled to take place in Madrid next May 18. Lobo said he was officially invited in March and that a couple of weeks ago Spanish Foreign Secretary Miguel Angel Moratinos rang on the phone to tell him “we will be waiting for you”.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva has been named the most influential leader in the world by Time Magazine, ahead of US President Barack Obama who is ranked fourth. No European leader figures among the top 25.
President Hugo Chávez expects Venezuela will be fully incorporated to Mercosur before Brazilian president Lula da Silva steps down from office next January first. The two leaders met Wednesday in Brasilia and also agreed to strengthen Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).