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Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister, Nicol�s Maduro confronts Washington at the XVIII OAS General Assembly |
June 3, 2008 At the XVIII OAS General Assembly
The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister, Nicol�s Maduro, demanded respect from Washington, which is leading a plan to fill Latin America with violence and compile a criminal record against President Hugo Chávez. He also mentioned that the unipolar era is expiring.
¨We condemn terrorism and formally urge once again that terrorist Luis Posada Carriles be captured because he is a fugitive who committed terrorist crimes against a civilian airplane in 1976¨, explained the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Nicolós Maduro during his speech at the 38th OAS General Assembly, held in Medellin, Colombia.
This high-level meeting, held between June 1 and June 3, gathered foreign affairs ministers and delegations from 34 countries of the region to tackle its main topic, ¨Youth and Democratic Values¨, as well as other issues regarding the current regional policy.
¨We aspire that sooner or later the U.S. elites do some reflection, rectify and understand the new era and history that have been opened in the continent,¨ he said.
Maduro pointed out that ¨this terrorist (Posada Carriles), who is free and protected by the U.S. government in Florida, recently enjoyed a public dinner in honor of his ´heroism´ as he killed innocent men and women in Central America, the Caribbean and South America.¨
The Venezuelan official stressed that ¨it´s a good opportunity for the U.S. government to fight terrorism, to immediately capture the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and hand him over to the Venezuelan justice, of which he is a fugitive as he blew up a Cubana de Aviación airplane in October 1976.¨
Finally, he urged the OAS ¨to oversee the U.S. behavior as it protects a well-known guilty, self-confessed, terrorist who has committed crimes against our country.¨
U.S. Plan to violate Latin America
During his speech, Maduro assured that behind the accusations against Venezuela of its alleged links to the FARC, the U.S is leading a plan to fill Latin America with violence and compile a criminal record against President Hugo Chávez.
There is a political plan promoted by the White House ¨in order to fill the region with violence (!) Today, there´s an operation underway and we want to denounce it, and the direct perpetrator encouraging this operation is the government of the United States.¨
The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister mentioned the ¨abusing and rude¨ accusations made on June 2 by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, who said he was completely sure that Venezuela has become a ¨refuge¨ for the FARC.
According to the Venezuelan Minister, ¨it´s an operation to fill our region with violence, to divide our peoples. Behind the irresponsible and abusing accusations made by Negroponte that the FARC have sought refuge in Venezuela, there´s a political operation in order to compile a criminal record against the legitimate and democratic President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and our country,¨ he denounced.
End of a Unipolar Era
According to Maduro, a multipolar world ¨must have its expression within a framework of relations based on respect, equality.¨
¨The unipolar era in our region is coming to its end; that unipolar era in the world is reaching to its last time,¨ he pointed out.
¨New democratic, progressive, sovereign leaderships have emerged; these leaderships must rethink the construction of a new historic era, a new framework of relations in the Organization of American States,¨ said the Venezuelan official.
Maduro also stressed that ¨it has been difficult enough in our region to find the path of cooperation, integration, union, brotherhood; it has been difficult enough in our region to get closer.¨
That´s the reason why Maduro explained that the new political reality in the continent must be defended over any foreign meddling or violation to the norms, as United States´ violations perpetrated for the 60 years it has been an OAS member.
¨Why our relations can not be marked by principles such as respect, cooperation, and brotherhood, and why is there a State or a government of an OAS member State that can mock all these norms?,¨ asked the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister.
The 38th OAS General Assembly resulted in the Declaration of Medellin, which reaffirms the OAS member States´ ¨commitment to foster among the youth of the Americas the values set forth in the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, so as to strengthen their political, social, and economic participation in the framework of a democratic society.¨
Telesur / MinCI