"Health problems" and Colombia keep Chavez away from Mercosur summit

[naaman fletcher]

VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports: President Chavez has confirmed that he will not be attending the Southern Cone Economic Zone (Mercosur) meeting which starts today in the Argentinean city of San Juan. Instead, Venezuela will be represented at the meeting by the Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

President Chavez said he would not be attending for health reasons and the "Colombian government's show" is keeping him at home.

Mercosur foreign ministers meeting before the summit did not discuss the conflict between Colombia and Venezuela, even though the Paraguayan Foreign Minister offered to raise the topic at the meeting. Maduro declined but did take the opportunity to engage in one on one conversations to promote Venezuela's peace plan for Colombia.

The foreign ministers discussed the results of the Chaco social summit and assessed the presidency of Argentina, as well as advances in regional economic integration, such as free trade agreement negotiations and electricity integration within the zone

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