BRASILIA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - South American trade bloc Mercosur will trigger its democratic clause this weekend to suspend Venezuela until democracy is restored, a Brazilian government source said on Thursday.

The decision will be taken at a meeting of regional foreign ministers in Sao Paulo on Saturday, said the official with knowledge of the negotiations. Mercosur had planned to decide on using the democratic clause at year-end, but brought the decision forward following Venezuela's controversial election of a constituent assembly and the recent arrest of several opposition leaders, the source said. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassú) </s> BRASILIA (Reuters) - South American trade bloc Mercosur will trigger its democratic clause this weekend to suspend Venezuela indefinitely and not allow it back until democracy is restored, a Brazilian government source said on Thursday.

The decision will be taken at a meeting of the foreign ministers of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil in Sao Paulo on Saturday, said the official with knowledge of the negotiations.

Mercosur suspended Venezuela temporarily from the bloc in December for not complying with the bloc’s regulations, but the deterioration of the political and human rights situation has led it to take a more definitive stance.

The bloc had planned to decide on applying the democratic clause at year-end, but brought the decision forward following Venezuela’s controversial election of a constituent assembly on Sunday followed by the arrest of several opposition leaders by President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

“The Venezuelan situation has become intolerable,” Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie told reporters in Montevideo. “For Argentina, it is clear that we have reached a breaking point.”

Argentina warned in July that Mercosur would permanently expel Venezuela if Maduro went ahead with the creation of a national assembly. Countries around the world have condemned the vote, calling it a bid to indefinitely extend Maduro’s rule. His government has been accused of inflating turnout numbers.

Millions in Venezuela are suffering food shortages, soaring inflation and months of anti-government unrest, making it more unlikely that such a high turnout was obtained by the government.

More than 120 people have been killed in the protests, drawing international condemnation of the security forces’ heavy-handed tactics.

Mercosur has no provision for expulsion, but activating the democratic clause adds to the international isolation of the Maduro government because Venezuela can only be readmitted after holding elections that the bloc members view to be democratic. </s> BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — South American nations say they have suspended Venezuela from the Mercosur trade group over its failure to comply with its commitments when it joined the group in 2012.

Argentina's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday that Venezuela had failed to meet a Dec. 1 deadline to adopt certain standards required for membership. The foreign ministers of the four founding members— Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay — notified Venezuela's government of the decision in a letter.

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 the socialist-run Venezuela has fallen afoul of its as it has cracked down on the opposition and conservative governments have assumed power in Argentina and Brazil. </s> BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Venezuela will be suspended from the Mercosur regional trade bloc as early as Friday for failing to meet membership requirements, a Brazilian official said, in the latest blow to the oil-producing country during a deep political and economic crisis.

According to the official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, Mercosur understands that Venezuela failed to meet economic, human rights and immigration accords governing the group.

Mercosur’s other members are Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and regional diplomatic heavyweight Brazil.

Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that three unidentified Brazilian officials expected Venezuela to be suspended from the bloc.

“Venezuela has not adopted all the membership rules and treaties it had promised,” one of those officials said. “Everything indicates that Venezuela will be suspended starting in December.”

An Argentine government source said later on Thursday that the decision would not happen until a Dec. 14 meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers.

Socialist-led Venezuela has said it will not leave Mercosur and has denounced what it calls a campaign by right-leaning Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to expel it from the group.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday said via Twitter that Venezuela had called on member countries to activate a mechanism for “resolutions of conflicts,” tweeting a complaint letter sent to Mercosur foreign ministers.

“Venezuela must be respected!” Rodriguez said on Twitter. “Officials who adhere to imperialist mandates will not win against our fatherland.”

The suspension would not carry any sanctions against Venezuela, but would sideline its government from bloc meetings and trade negotiations, the Brazilian officials said.

A suspension would also further isolate Venezuela as it struggles with food shortages and social unrest as its oil-dependent economy crumbles.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Tensions within Mercosur reflect the changing political landscape of a region that has turned to conservative governments after years of domination by leftist leaders buoyed by a commodities boom.

Some Brazilian officials had considered delaying the suspension to avoid hampering Vatican-led negotiations to ease the political crisis in Venezuela, but they later dropped those plans, said another official.

Businesses in Brazil have complained that the presence of Venezuela, which joined the bloc in 2012, has delayed key trade and regulatory decisions.

“It’s a political decision that shows Mercosur countries trying to be in line with the global reality,” said Roberto Ticoulat, head of the Brazilian Council of Commercial Exporters and Importers. “Brazil needs to be part of global trade, and we can’t wait any longer.” </s> ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The four original nations of South America's Mercosur trading bloc announced Tuesday that they are giving Venezuela until Dec. 1 to comply with its commitments when it joined in 2012 that it would comply with all the group's requirements.

Brazil's foreign minister tweeted that Venezuela would be suspended from the group if it failed to meet the deadline.

The ultimatum was contained in a statement from Mercosur founders Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay that was released by the Foreign Ministry of Paraguay, where the group has its headquarters.

The statement gave no details about the requirements that Venezuela had not met.

But Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga recently said that among the things Venezuela needed to do was protect human rights and enact a law guaranteeing free movement of citizens of the member nations. He also said Venezuela was not allowing opposition groups to protest freely.

On Twitter, Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra said the group would suspend Venezuela as a member if the group's demand is not met. He also said that the four countries agreed that Venezuela would not take over the bloc's rotating presidency as scheduled and instead Mercosur will be presided over by a commission of one member each from the four founding states.

Mercosur took in Venezuela as a member in an effort to link the region's most powerful agricultural and energy markets. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption Venezuela was due to take over the Mercosur presidency in September

The South American economic bloc Mercosur has suspended Venezuela for failing to meet its basic standards.

The bloc's founding members - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - made the decision after concluding Venezuela had not incorporated key rules on trade and human rights into national law.

Venezuela, which joined the bloc in 2012, has argued that some accords conflict with its domestic legislation.

On Friday it said it rejected any decision to suspend it from the bloc.

"Venezuela does not recognise this null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying Mercosur," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said on her Twitter account.

In September Mercosur gave the Venezuela until 1 December to fully put its charter into effect.

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On Thursday, Brazilian officials were quoted as saying that the foreign ministers of the four founding countries had sent a letter to Venezuela saying its membership had been suspended.

"Venezuela has not adopted all the membership rules and treaties it had promised," one official told Reuters news agency.

Correspondents say Venezuela's neighbours have become increasingly concerned over developments in the country.

The opposition blames left-wing President Nicolas Maduro for widespread food shortages, looting, and human rights abuses. The government accuses the US and Venezuela's business elite of trying to destabilise it.

Since 2015, tensions between Venezuela and its Mercosur partners have been exacerbated by the replacement of left-wing presidents by centre-right leaders in Argentina and Brazil.

Earlier this year the bloc stopped Venezuela from assuming the rotating presidency. </s> ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The four original members of South America’s Mercosur trading bloc are giving Venezuela a Dec. 1 deadline to comply with its commitments to meet all the group’s standards when it joined in 2012.

A Tuesday statement from the bloc says Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay agreed that Venezuela’s socialist government has to meet its commitments by that date.

But Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga recently said that among the requirements unmet by Venezuela are the protection of human rights and enactment of a law guaranteeing free movement by citizens of the member nations. He also said Venezuela was not allowing opposition groups to protest freely.

Mercosur took in Venezuela as a member in an effort to link the region’s most powerful agricultural and energy markets. </s> MENDOZA, Argentina (Reuters) - The members of South America's Mercosur trade bloc called for an end to violence in Venezuela in a joint statement on Friday, while Brazil and Argentina expressed wariness about following the United States in preparing possible economic sanctions.

Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay again called on Venezuela to release political prisoners and offered to facilitate talks between President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government and the opposition in the statement, issued as the nations met in Mendoza, Argentina to discuss trade and regional integration.

Associate Mercosur members Chile, Colombia and Guyana, as well as Mexico, also signed the statement, which called on both the government and the opposition to "not take any initiative that could divide Venezuelan society even more, or aggravate institutional conflicts."

The statement comes days after U.S. officials said they were preparing sanctions against Venezuelan government figures.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie told reporters Mercosur countries were hesitant to follow suit.

"None of us are willing to apply any sanctions that will affect, above all, the Venezuelan people," Faurie said.

Nunes said any Mercosur decision would be "autonomous" of U.S. action, and said interruptions of food shipments from Brazil to Venezuela could "aggravate the humanitarian crisis even more."

Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur last December amid concerns about human rights. Since then, four months of anti-government unrest has taken around 100 lives. On Friday, millions joined a 24-hour shutdown as part of a civil disobedience campaign against Maduro.

In April, Argentine President Mauricio Macri warned that Venezuela could be expelled from Mercosur if it did not change its behaviour.

The joint statement did not refer to Maduro's plan to hold a July 30 vote to elect a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the OPEC nation's constitution. Mexico on Thursday had called on Maduro to shelve the vote.

Bolivia, whose President Evo Morales is one of Maduro's few remaining allies in the region, is in the process of becoming a Mercosur member.

At the meeting, Mercosur members agreed to establish common legal conditions within the bloc to encourage investment and took steps to boost trade ties with the Pacific Alliance countries of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Mercosur is also eyeing a trade deal with the European Union, which Faurie said could be reached in December. </s> Mercosur lays down ultimatum for Venezuela to meet membership terms

BRASILIA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The founding members of Mercosur will give Venezuela until Dec. 1 to meet its membership requirements or be suspended from the trade bloc, Brazil said on Tuesday, in the latest twist in a row that has exposed ideological divisions.

The ultimatum will further isolate the socialist-led nation, which has been at the center of a fight over the rotating presidency of Mercosur, which has turned to the right after years dominated by leftist governments.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that decision was meant to "preserve and strengthen Mercosur."

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay also decided in a deal first reported by Reuters to share the presidency of the group in a temporary solution to the group's currently being without a head.

Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately responded to requests for comments.

All Mercosur members but Uruguay blocked Venezuela from assuming the rotating presidency in June, accusing the OPEC nation of failing to incorporate a joint economic accord and a commitment to protect human rights.

The bickering over leadership has stalled Mercosur's everyday operations and trade negotiations with other countries, ultimately forcing Uruguay to accept a tougher stance against Venezuela, a Brazilian official familiar with the matter said.

Facing food shortages and political turmoil, Venezuelan leftist President Nicolas Maduro has come under greater international pressure to cede to opposition calls for a recall vote on his leadership this year.

"Having that Mercosur membership is seen as important by the Venezuelan regime to show its population that it is integrated in the region," said Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at Sao Paulo-based think tank FGV. "This will certainly add pressure, but is unlikely change things in Venezuela."

Brazilian diplomats have said that until late August Venezuela had met about 30 percent of the membership requirements, which entails adopting a series of rules to facilitate trade inside the group. Venezuela was initially admitted in the bloc in 2012 and given four years to meet all the requirements.

Brazil's new President Michel Temer, a center-right politician who replaced leftist Dilma Rousseff after she was impeached in August for breaking fiscal rules, has led the charge to undermine Venezuela in the bloc.

After Temer, who was Rousseff's vice-president, permanently assumed the presidency until the end of the term in late 2018, Venezuela froze ties and recalled its ambassador in Brasilia. The leftist governments of Ecuador and Bolivia, once close allies to Brasilia, also recalled their ambassadors.

The widening political divisions in South America also reflect the changing luck of a region struggling with a drop in global commodity prices after a decade-long boom that helped leftist leaders raise spending on the poor. (Additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Writing by Alonso Soto; Editing by Leslie Adler and Nick Macfie)
South American trade bloc Mercosur will trigger its democratic clause this weekend to suspend Venezuela indefinitely, furthering its past temporary suspension, and not allow the country back until internal political issues have been resolved.