Suspended Venezuela tries to crash Mercosur trade bloc talks

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Venezuela’s foreign minister threatened to enter Argentina’s foreign ministry through a window if necessary Wednesday, but she still didn’t get into a meeting of South American countries that suspended her nation from the Mercosur trade bloc.

Police were forced to intervene after Delcy Rodriguez arrived at Argentina’s foreign ministry and accused other Mercosur members who have been critical of her government of conspiring against Venezuela.

Rodriguez was eventually allowed to enter the ministry, send tweets and “enjoy the building,” Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said at a news conference. But Malcorra said the Venezuelan was not allowed to attend the meeting and she told Rodriguez in person that Venezuela was not invited.

“I want to be very clear: You never go to a summit, to a multilateral meeting without authorization,” Malcorra said. “This led to a complex situation that I would have preferred to avoid where the foreign minister wanted to enter, in her words: through the door or through a window.”

Mercosur accepted Venezuela as a member when South America was dominated by leftist governments in an effort to link the region’s biggest agricultural and energy markets.

But socialist-run Venezuela fell afoul of its neighbours as it cracked down on the political opposition while conservative governments assumed power in Argentina and Brazil. Venezuela’s regional influence also waned as it cut back on oil shipments once provided to allies at cut-rate prices.

Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur earlier this month over what other member nations said was its failure to comply with commitments on democracy and human rights that it made when it joined the group in 2012.

Malcorra said that Mercosur will use mechanisms for resolving conflicts and that she remains hopeful Venezuela can adopt the standards required for membership.

“We’re waiting for Venezuela to do its part and meet its obligations,” Malcorra said. “When that happens, Venezuela will be welcomed back into Mercosur.”

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Luis Andres Henao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LuisAndresHenao