BRASIL / VENEZUELA / ARGENTINA / MERCOSUR : Chavez Goes To Brasilia To Finally Join Mercosur; Trade Group Analysis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19056597


      President Hugo Chavez is feeling well enough...to leave Caracas for the first time in a year...since returning there from numerous Cuban cancer treatments.
     Chavez heads to Brasilia...finally able to join the Mercosur trading group...after 6 years of efforts blocked by Paraguay.
    Chavez, 58...just celebrated a birthday and has been campaigning more actively...still leading in polls over his younger opponent Henrique Capriles.

       AND: LONG ANALYSIS: What is Mercosur? Since it was established in 1995...trade within it has grown 4x to $51 billion...but ugly disputes between Brasil and Argentina have weakened it. 
     Trade between the 2 giants shrank 12% in Jan til June...and plummeted by 32% in June!
         http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/30/us-trade-latinamerica-idUSBRE86T16V20120730