Paraguay criticizes the lack of will in the EU to close an agreement and urges Mercosur to "look inward" - .::Agencia IP::.

President Santiago Peña valued the efforts of his Brazilian counterpart, Lula Da Silva, to close the agreement with the European Union (EU) but regretted the lack of political will from the European bloc and urged greater rapprochement and agreement between the countries of the Southern Cone.

Asunción, Agencia IP.- President Santiago Peña valued the efforts of his Brazilian counterpart, Lula Da Silva, to close the agreement with the European Union (EU) but regretted the lack of political will from the European bloc and urged greater rapprochement and agreement between the countries of the Southern Cone.

«I think the time has come for us to say it is enough. It is time to look inward,» said Peña at the meeting before the Mercosur Summit. Paraguay received today the bloc Presidency for the next six months.

Peña advanced his position of seeking Mercosur to negotiate trade agreements with other countries and asked Lula da Silva to seal the agreement. «If he doesn’t close, I’m not going to continue in December,» he said upon his return from the United Nations General Assembly.

«I am convinced that our region of the world has the greatest potential,» he said this Thursday before the presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia. He pointed out that in response to future global challenges, such as access to water, food, and renewable energy, the Mercosur countries are protagonists in these areas and have great potential.