Mercosur FMs sign to offer Venezuela full membership

Foreign Ministers of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) nations signed a protocol on Friday, offering Venezuela full membership in the trade bloc.

Foreign ministers from Mercosur's four member states, namely, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, signed the protocol at the San Martin Palace, which hosts the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

Argentina holds the bloc's rotating presidency, a role which rotates every six months.

The protocol will have to be ratified by Mercosur's presidents at a summit scheduled for July 4-5 in Venezuela.

The foreign ministers in their meeting also agreed on the agenda of the Mercosur summit slated for July 20-21 in the Argentine city of Cordoba, said Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana in a statement.

The summit was expected to cover the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks, a trade agreement with Cuba, regional customs codes, and trade negotiations with Pakistan and Israel, said the foreign ministers in a joint statement.

It will also discuss such issues as production, integration, competitiveness and new job creation, said the statement.

Source: Xinhua