Published 17 March 2015
ALBA is an 11-country alliance of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Its members met Tuesday to discuss U.S. aggression toward Venezuela. Presidents and foreign ministers of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA) held an extraordinary summit Tuesday where they analyzed U.S. President Barack Obama’s latest executive order against Venezuela. The ALBA leaders issued a joint statement in the face of Obama’s determination to declare Venezuela a threat to his country’s national security. The bloc’s declaration will be presented at the Summit of the Americas, which will take place April 10-11 in Panama. Below we look at the summit’s final statement and remarks by the Latin American leaders during the event. READ MORE: Final Declaration from the Extraordinary ALBA Summit
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FINAL STATEMENT
ALBA’s final statement offered a “rejection of the Executive Order issued on March 9, 2015 by the Government of the United States of America,” describing it as “unfair” and “unjustifiable” and “threatening interference” in violation of “the principle of sovereignty and the principle non-intervention in the internal affairs of States.”
It states that Venezuela “does not pose a threat to any country” and calls on the “United States to immediately stop the harassment and aggression against the Venezuelan government and people” believing this “encourages destabilization and the use of violence by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition.”
The statement calls for the “peaceful resolution of conflicts”and call on the U.S “to act within the framework of universal principles and the Charter of the United Nations,” and to especially “refrain from the use of unilateral coercive resources that violate international law.”
It also calls on the “US government to establish dialogue with the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as an alternative to conflict and confrontation, based on continued respect for the sovereignty and self-determination.”
To facilitate this the statement calls for regional bodies representing, South and Latin America and the Caribbean “to facilitate diplomatic engagement between the governments of the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to alleviate tensions and ensure an amicable resolution.”
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Pdte. @NicolasMaduro: en la época de la Revolución Bolivariana se ha reforzado la vocación de un pueblo de paz. |
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Bolivian President Evo Morales explained that the U.S. government is trying to divide the region: “Now that they cannot defeat us politically, nor economically or military through coups, what do they do? They try to divide us.” Morales urged the U.S. government to change its ways: “The U.S. government must understand we are not living in imperial times of the past … (President Obama) has to know he is wrong.” The Bolivian president criticized the double standard applied by the U.S., condemning Venezuela over alleged human rights abuses: ” In Latin America and the Caribbean we have no death penalty, the worst violation possible of human rights, but it does exist in the U.S.”
Cuban President Raul Castro said “the facts show that history cannot be ignored,” as over decades the U.S. “has backed bloody military dictatorships, covert operations and has supported terrorism” in the region. Furthermore, the Cuban leader warned about the history of U.S. policy towards the region in general, “the objectives are consistent, they’ve just changed their methods.” He explained that the region wants peace, but with dignity: “(We want) to have peace, but standing tall, not on our knees.”
Saint Vincent and Grenadines President Ralph Gonsalves: “The U.S. executive order is a threat to all of us.”
Ralph Gonsalves, San Vicente y las Granadinas: Decreto ejecutivo de EEUU es una amenaza para todos nosotros
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Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro wrote a letter to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, published Tuesday, highlighting the importance of the ALBA integration bloc in light of the extraordinary high-level summit. The letter was read by Maduro as he opened the event: “This Tuesday, March 17,the ALBA Summit will take place in Caracas (capital of Venezuela) to analyze the unusual policies of the Unites States against Venezuela,” Castro wrote.
Raúl Castro: No toleraremos que se quebrante impunemente la paz en la región ¡Venezuela no está sola! #ObamaDerogaYa
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The tweet below reads “President Raul Castro (Cuba): We will not tolerate a breach in regional peace. Venezuela is not alone!” The hashtag reads “Obama Revoke It Now,” referring to the executive order.
Addressing the summit Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega referred to the “coups in Honduras and Paraguay” and “attempts in Bolivia and Ecuador” that have occurred with President Obama in power, saying that the US, “is a threat to global security, this is not rhetoric, is reality” He warned that the executive order “can be used for anything.” He said that the leader’s want “respectful relationships between the U.S. and the people of Latin America and the Caribbean
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister criticized the U.S. during his intervention: “what can the U.S. teach us about human rights…(it) imposes lifetime jail sentences against children and teenagers …the country that has made torture legal and …developed the most powerful mass surveillance system.” He asked, “If Venezuela is a threat, any of our countries could be a threat. What makes Venezuela different from the rest of our countries?” He also urged “the international community to respect Latin America and the Caribbean as a peace zone”.
Canciller Patiño participa en Reunión de la ALBA en Caracas
“We know these acts of declaring a country or a group of people a threat to the United States is a prelude to an invasion, it has happened many times before. We cannot risk tolerating this in any way … Latin America is advancing very well, economically, but also in terms of social justice and political stability. We have to maintain this,” explained Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño upon his arrival in Caracas.
Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke ahead of the ALBA Summit. Read more in the article below.
Bolivian President Evo Morales said Tuesday that Latin America is more united than ever against the policies that the United States government is intending to impose on the region. Morales spoke to the press just before departing for Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, where he will participate in the ALBA Summit this Tuesday.
TELESURTV
A week ago, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order declaring Venezuela a “national security threat.” Read more below.
U.S. President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order March 9 declaring a “national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela.” Since then, a range of presidents, including Ecuador’s Rafael Correa and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, have issued statements in support of Venezuela.
TELESURTV
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