Mercosur lays down ultimatum for Venezuela to meet membership terms

BRASILIA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The founding members of Mercosur will give Venezuela until Dec. 1 to meet its membership requirements or be suspended from the trade bloc, Brazil said on Tuesday, in the latest twist in a row that has exposed ideological divisions. “The presidency of Mercosur in the current semester will not be passed on to Venezuela, but rather exercised through coordination between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay,” read a joint statement by the four countries — Mercosur’s founding states — that Brazil released at dawn. But Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga recently said that among the requirements unmet by Venezuela are the protection of human rights and enactment of a law guaranteeing free movement by citizens of the member nations.
The South American trading bloc Mercosur threatens to suspend Venezuela if it does not protect human rights and enact a law guaranteeing the free movement of Mercosur citizens. The bloc sets a deadline of December 1, 2016, for Venezuela to comply with their requirements.