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Brazil Sees Paraguay's Coziness with US as Reason for Concern |
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Written by Aline Beckestein
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Friday, 11 November 2005 |
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The creation of the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur), scheduled to begin operations in January, was highlighted as an important point of integration among the member countries, especially with Paraguay.
This was the opinion expressed by Iara Leite, a researcher at the South American Political Observatory, linked to the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro (Iuperj).
Leite participated in the seminar, The New UN, sponsored by the United Nations in commemoration of its 60th anniversary.
According to the researcher, the approximation between Paraguay and the United States should be viewed with concern, since it could jeopardize the interests of the bloc as a whole.
Paraguay, she pointed out, is one of the smallest economies in the Mercosur, alongside Uruguay. And the fact that all the member countries - Brazil and Argentina are the other members of the Mercosur - have the same number of representatives in the Parlasur strengthens Paraguay and Uruguay.
Leite explained that the original proposal provided for representation proportional to population, which appeared to be in the interests of Brazil and Argentina. And that this modification, taking into account the Paraguayan and Uruguayan demands, will help in the consolidation of the bloc.
She also underscored the creation of the Fund for Structural Convergence, established to combine resources from all the member countries for the sake of internal development.
The largest amount of resources for this fund will come from Brazil, and, according to the researcher, Paraguay and Uruguay will be the biggest beneficiaries.
Agência Brasil
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