Venezuela was officially admitted into the South American trade bloc Mercosur Tuesday, at a summit in Brasilia, Brazil. Venezuela's admission marks the organization's first expansion since it was founded in 1991. The trade bloc now stretches from Tierradel Fuego at South America's southern tip to the Caribbean, dpa cited. Venezuela was originally admitted into Mercosur in June 2006, but Paraguay's Senate refused to ratify the decision, keeping the country out of the group. The formal admission only became possible last month, when Paraguay's membership in the Mercosur was suspended due to the controversial ouster of its president Fernando Lugo. -- SPA