Western Hemisphere
The Brazilian Senate Committee on Foreign Relations decided on Thursday to return a letter sent by the Venezuelan Ambassador to Brazil Julio García Montoya, where the Venezuelan envoy criticized Brazilian Congress's delay to ratify his country's accession to the Mercosur trade bloc.

García Montoya declined an invitation to participate on Thursday in a public hearing on the issue and justified his action in a letter where he accused Brazilian senators of "limiting the discussion and the analysis of the topic to specific political interests."

According to the Venezuelan ambassador, the doubts expressed by Brazilian senators with regard to the convenience of Venezuela's accession to Mercosur "are ideological and even personal," DPA reported.

The letter was received with outrage by the members of the committee who oppose to the inclusion of Venezuela in Mercosur.