Paraguay under pressure after Lugo ousted

(Reuters) - Paraguay's new president said on Saturday he would ask his impeached predecessor to help quell regional tensions after Argentina withdrew its ambassador in protest at what it said was a coup and Brazil recalled its top diplomat for consultations.

Paraguay's South American neighbors and key trading partners are taking it to task for the unprecedented speed with which its opposition-dominated Congress removed President Fernando Lugo on Friday, saying he had failed to fulfill his duties to maintain social harmony.

A silver-haired former Roman Catholic bishop, Lugo was a year away from completing his five-year term. He decried the two-day impeachment trial but said he accepted the decision and stepped down.

He spoke to reporters outside his home on Saturday night, saying he was toppled by a "a congressional coup" and that Paraguay was now facing isolation.

The new president, Federico Franco, planned to speak to Lugo to help ease relations with other governments in the region. "I think he is the key to decompressing (the situation)."

Franco had been Lugo's vice president but was a fierce critic and his Liberal Party withdrew its support for Lugo last week, paving the way for the swift impeachment trial.

"I'm going to speak with him myself," Franco, a 49-year-old doctor, said in an interview with Reuters. He was sworn in on Friday shortly after Lugo was ousted.

The impeachment was sparked by clashes that killed 17 police and peasant farmers during a recent land eviction.