The call by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to the country’s military on preparing for a war against Colombia may hinder the Brazilian Senate’s vote on the Protocol of Venezuela Accession to Mercosur.
In the weekly Venezuelan program “Alo Presidente,” broadcast last Sunday, Chavez urged people to defend the country against possible invasion by American and Colombian military, from the installed base in Colombia.
The government leader deputy in the Brazilian Senate, Gin Argello (PTB), said that the act of Chavez will be a complicating factor “for voting the document on Wednesday (Nov. 11),” as agreed between Senate President Jose Sarney (PMDB) and some leaders last week.
Mercosur comprises Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Venezuela’s inclusion in the bloc, adopted in 2006 by the governments of the four member states, but thus far ratified only by the Congresses of Argentina and Uruguay.
On his turn, deputy Alvaro Dias (PSDB) said that his party will defend, in plenary, that the Senate should suspend discussions on Brazil’s support to the entry of Venezuela to Mercosur.
Chavez’s statements were made at a time of growing tensions on the border with Colombia and when a military agreement is being signed between the Colombian and U.S. governments, according to BBC Brazil.
The diplomatic crisis between Colombia and Venezuela has deepened in the last two weeks, when two Venezuelan soldiers were killed in the border state of Tachira by suspected paramilitaries.
