There shouldn't be anything "literally" to read in to. It's a SkyTeam Elite Plus benefit. If you are flying a SkyTeam carrier internationally and you are a Skyteam Elite Plus member, you are allowed to use the lounge.

Note - you are supposed to use the lounge of the carrier operating your flight, not of your Elite Status. That said, some airports don't have lounges for all airlines but you can still get lounge access to other ST airlines' lounges. For example, if DL doesn't have a lounge at MSP you should be able to use the NW lounge. This doesn't always work, especially internationally, but it's supposed to. If Air France denies you access, for example, go try the KL lounge and so on. One of them should let you in. Just don't get too pushy even though the rules say you should be granted access.

I've successfully used an Alitalia lounge (Rome) when I was flying KL even though there was a KL lounge there.
-RM