Meeting between Uruguay Foreign Minister and Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro was abruptly suspended

Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): A meeting between Foreign Ministers Gonzalo Fernandez of Uruguay and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela was set for Sunday but abruptly suspended, apparently at Montevideo’s behest.

Officially, the meeting was called off for "reasons of agenda," according to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry. And, anyway, it was said, the two would meet at the Mercosur summit in Tucuman, Argentina, today and Tuesday, which Venezuela has been invited to attend.

But it was also noted that Uruguayan Industry and Energy Minister Daniel Martinez last week said a contract for a refinery project would be put out to tender and not directly awarded to state oil corporation Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), as had been stated in Caracas.

That is said to have prompted PDVSA into not having anything more to do with the project. Reports also say that Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez has doubts about the suitcase of cash Guido Antonini Wilson allegedly tried to take to Argentina from Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez is said to have accused fellow leftist Vazquez of "flirting" with the Bush Administration.