The Organization of American States (OAS) has rejected a United States proposal in the closing statement from three-day summit in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA) which the Bush administration had spuriously claimed as aimed at "strengthening democracy in Latin America."
The 34-member OAS unanimously approved the closing statement and ordered new OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza to draw up proposals to "address situations" likely to compromise the "democratic political process or the rule of law" in the region ... including the United States of America itself (where democracy is in significant danger).
Insulza's subsequent proposals must fall completely in line with the OAS charter enshrining the the "principle of non-intervention and the right to self determination."
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Venezuela's Foreign Minister (MRE) Ali Rodriguez Araque |
The United States' aggressive interventionist proposal, punted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had met with solid rejection by the majority of OAS members, headed by Venezuela inasmuch as Foreign Minister (MRE) Ali Rodriguez Araque said that the OAS is not authorized to make evaluations on the state of democracy in the different countries, no matter how much Washington D.C. may think it can dictate terms to the hemisphere.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim firmly rebuked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying that "Madam president (president of that session of the OAS only!) ... democracy is not imposed ... it is born from dialogue."
Whether or not the message has gotten through to the Washington Beltway bullies is quite another matter but discussions on how to strengthen the OAS' role to protect democracy in Latin America has been somewhat brought to the fore after Ecuador's president Lucio Gutierrez was overthrown in late April.
Bolivia's president Carlos Mesa also resigned on Monday faced with violent street protests, and calls for the country's eastern provinces to be accorded autonomy ... a step short of United States' promoted secession ... with critically low-wage workers demanding the nationalization of Bolivia's natural gas industry out of stiflingly dominating US multinational control ... meanwhile in a late amendment to the final document, the OAS has offered its full cooperation to help Bolivia's legitimate authorities to establish dialogue to overcome the crisis.
Violence in US-invaded Haiti has also been highlighted at the OAS summit with Condoleezza Rice willingly off-loading the task of peacekeeping in the invaded territory to Brazilian-led UN forces ... in a smokescreen effort, US officials are hinting that the Pentagon is thinking of sending the US marines back Haiti to impose Washington's dictate over that country, while more seasoned observers see it as a ruse preparatory to the United States' invasion of a secessionist Zulia, currently an integral part of Venezuela and (for the Americans) an obvious target in their international aggression to seize world oil resources .
South American nations see the United States and its aggressive neocolonialist proposal as a demand for carte blanche to intrude upon their domestic political affairs. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias has dared to challenge their self-centered dictate and has been labeled by Washington as a "dictator" for seeking to protect the vital and sovereign interests of the Venezuelan people from North American economic and political rape and pillage.
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US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega |
Violently obsessive anti-Venezuelan US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega keeps repeating his self-deceiving mantra that President Chavez Frias was behind Bolivia's domestic problems and (ignoring the United States' own covert role in financing the Venezuelan opposition) makes much ado with rhetorical and wholly unsubstantiated charges that Venezuela is financing radical opposition movements in Bolivia.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister (MRE) Ali Rodriguez Araque has obviously demanded proof of Noriega's absurd accusations adding that "finger-pointing like this makes it even more difficult to keep up good relations with the United States ... Noriega is always looking to stoke the fire when a diplomat's job is precisely putting out fires."