Top South American leaders are gathering in Brazil to officially welcome Venezuela into the continent's Mercosur trade bloc, AP reported. The move will link the region's most powerful agricultural and energy markets. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is meeting with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and leaders from Uruguay and Argentina on Tuesday. The trip is Chavez's first abroad as president in months, following an operation in Cuba in February that removed a tumor. Chavez said earlier this month that he is now cancer-free. The meeting marks a continuing rift in the trade group. Paraguay was temporarily suspended from Mercosur last month, in response to the congressional ouster of that nation's president. Mercosur said in a statement that the suspension continues and emphasized that "regional integration implies the full observance of democratic institutions."
