Lula for Venezuela to MERCOSUR

The Brazilian Senate would approve Venezuela´s entry into South American trade bloc Mercosur before March, Brazil´s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said. Asked about the subject in Maracaibo, 700 kilometers west of Caracas, Lula said Venezuela´s entry is supported by his country as well as by the rest of the bloc members. The Chamber of Deputies voted (last December), the Senate will start operating in February and I think that by March it will vote Venezuela's access to Mercosur, he said. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez highlighted the importance of this step and claimed Venezuela´s entry would have an important geopolitical impact. Should the Brazilian Senate approve the move, only the approval by the Paraguayan Parliament will be needed for Venezuelan to become a full member of Mercosur, made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, whose presidents have already given their consent to the plan."