For his part, President Vazquez who has headed Uruguay's center-left government since 2004 refrained from any direct mention of Venezuela's arms purchases.

VOA: standard.2009.09.15

Jorge Batlle, of the Colorado Party, was elected president of Uruguay , beating his left-wing rival, Tabare Vazquez, by a margin of seven-and-a-half percentage points.

ECONOMIST: Violent in Seattle

The measure awaits the signature of Uruguay's president, who has indicated he supports it.

CNN: French lawmakers approve same-sex marriage bill

Yet in 1992, the president of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, almost scuppered the Uruguay round of world trade talks rather than cut farm spending.

ECONOMIST: European agriculture is feeling beleaguered