Venezuelan President to Attend MERCOSUR Summit as Observer

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, June 15, 2003

Venezuelan President to Attend MERCOSUR Summit as Observer

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel next Tuesday to Paraguay to participate in a summit ofthe Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) as an observer, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Chavez's delegation will include Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton,the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The summit is scheduled to take place in Asuncion, Paraguay, onJune 17-18.

The MERCOSUR comprises Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay,with Chile and Bolivia as its associate members.

At the summit, Chavez is likely to stress Venezuela's intentionto join the MERCOSUR, as an associate member at the first stage like Chile and Bolivia.

Last June, Chavez opposed the signing of a trade agreement between the Andean Community (CAN) and the United States as he feared that the accord would take political power away from South America. CAN consists of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

"We (Venezuela) belong to the South and are destined to be partof the integration of South America," Chavez said.

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