Washington says Paraguay should not be suspended from OAS and calls for regional unity
Paraguay should not be suspended from the Organization of American States, OAS, despite the removal of President Fernando Lugo, said on Wednesday Roberta Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The crisis triggered by the exit of Lugo must be a motive of unity for the region and not of division, added Jacobson talking with journalists and the first formal statement from Washington referred to the Paraguayan situation.
Lugo was removed from office by Congress following political impeachment last June 22 and so far the US government had taken prudent distance from the situation waiting for the results from the in situ mission of OAS to Paraguay.
“At this moment there does not seem to be a reason to suspend Paraguay from OAS”, said Jacobson.
OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza travelled to Paraguay last week heading a fact finding mission and also said he was against suspending Paraguay following the controversial removal of Lugo from office and his replacement by Vice-president Federico Lugo, which triggered a strong debate in the OAS Permanent Council.
However country members from the Union of South American Nations, Unasur and Mercosur decided to suspend the new Paraguayan government in reprisal for the “rupture of the democratic system,” and what some heads of state considered a “parliamentary coup”.
Suspension stands until April 2013 when general elections are scheduled to take place in Paraguay and the calendar has been confirmed by the new authorities and President Franco who has pledged to step down in August next year.
“I see Paraguay as a way of uniting us as a region, in support of Paraguayan democracy, not as an issue to exacerbate divisions”, underlined Jacobson.
Insulza suggested to the Permanent Council of the 34 country OAS a mission to monitor and closely follow events in Paraguay and the organization of a meeting in coming days to debate the proposal and to decide if any action is to be taken against Paraguay.
However Brazil pointed out on Wednesday that it was a simple proposal from Insulza and not a definitive position from OAS.
“The notion that OAS continues to be committed with a mission is very positive”, said Jacobson
Meantime Panama is a similar position said that relations with Paraguay are normal and Ambassador Sabrina Garcia will remain in Asuncion, based on the findings from the report presented to the OAS Permanent Council by Insulza.
“We are observing the situation, but our ambassador remains because relations with Paraguay are normal”, said Foreign minister Roberto Henriquez. “We will take a definitive position on the issue soon but meantime we prefer to see how events unfold”.
According to Insulza’s report the country is calm and institutions have accepted the change, said Henriquez for whom cutting relations with Paraguay two hours after the removal, as some countries did, seems a “bit too precipitated”.
Meantime from Lima it was announced that former Peruvian cabinet Chief Salomon Lerner Ghitis was named as head of a UNASUR high level group that will assess and follow the Paraguayan situation.
“Unasur member countries have supported on consensus the naming of Lerner to lead a high level group, which is also a strong support and confidence vote for the Peruvian democracy since it holds the presidency of the group”, said Foreign minister Roncagliolo.
The special group with four other members will begin its activities next July 17 in Lima according to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry.
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What about respecting the right of a sovereign nation to impeach its own President using their own constitutional laws?
What about Venezula which isn't a democracy, where Chavez had made it illegal for ANYONE to speak out against his government.
This is the real face of South American unity, supports dictators, liars and thieves and punishes due legal process.
@3 - rylang23
Just when is South America going to start accepting responsibility for itself? Always with you the problems of South America are the fault of someone else. That's why one of the resource richest places on earth is so poor. Your politicians rob you all blind, but it isn't THEIR fault, it's (insert name of country or international body here) fault.
Maybe one day you'll all open your eyes and see the truth, but with your attitude I doubt it. After all it's easier to blame a third party than to actually do something about your problems, isn't it?
Stop lying about Venezuela, or put forward some proofs ofyour statements.
While you spend your time here telling people how their government is robbing them, your own bankers are filling their pockets with your pension money...
It isn't lies. The last free newspaper has been fined a huge sum of money by the Venezulan courts, which makes it impossible for them to continue in business.
Here are few other links, assuming your not going to bury you head in the sand when actual evidence is produced.
knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-9432-venezuelan-press-groups-criticize-government-censorship-reports-water-contamination
www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0126/Venezuelan-students-protest-Chavez-s-TV-censorship
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Venezuela
“Blaming President Chavez or the Venezuelan government for the current bitter divisions in Venezuelan society, the bad economy, a sudden poverty growth and deaths in opposition demonstrations could result in an infraction of the law and therefore in strong penalizations (if the offense is ”interpreted” or considered disrespectful towards legitimate institutions and authorities).”
Now that is oppression. In a democracy it is not only the right, but the duty of the citizens of the country to challenge the government, but when the government makes it illegal to challenge them, then democracy ceases to exist.
I'm not surprised that you support Chavez, Guzz. You seem to be attracted to dictators, and appear quite content to allow human rights abuses, as long as its for 'the cause'.
CFK should set up the
[Argentine commonwealth Of Nations ]
Or.
[ A CON] For Short .
JUST A THOUGHT.
Excellent!
Mind you the ConLibdems is alsmost as good. :o(
CFK is a laugh, looking for a fool,
they both then are the same, are they not .
This was the only way that they could get VE into the club.
Serious illegal action by Venezuela, Argentina and Brasil, following barely legal impeachment by PA's Senate.
and not the bottom, maybe
My god, I agree with you BK, Obama is sitting on too many fences and pleasing no-one in the process. It's called lazy politics. From outside looking in, I can't see any credible unity except with the hard line socialist/amateur dictators with too much to lose.
Your first link is about:
“Various Venezuelan press associations issued statements criticizing the court decision that ordered the media to publish a technical report supplying evidence for previous stories published about water contamination in the central region of the country. ”
Which means the Venezuelan Government caught the newspapers lying, publishing false information in order to hurt the government itself. A law was made that every newpaper must be able toback their stories up. It's wrong for the right wing media to lie for the population...
The second link is a US news agency that put the story about Venezuela under “Terrorism & Security” section. A bit biased, one would say...
I too can find various biased left wing news agencies paiting your government as the emperors of the devil...
The third link is about Venezuela banning transmission of violent and sexual content before 20.00 hrs and the ban they TV and Radio station live under when not being permitted to attack Chavez person.
I agree with all of it except the last part, but you have to have in mind that a former TV-station called for a revolution against Chavez in state paid prime time...
The name of the freedom and democracy game is now assassination. There is an appreciable percentage of the Venezuelan people who seem to understand what freedom and democracy mean. Therefore Chavez should be the first target. With him out of the way, CFK will probably run. But who would want to deny someone the pleasure of putting a bullet through her skull. Both the US and the UK have excellent snipers. Perhaps one more for Maximo. One of the best possible uses of “foreign aid”.
You already asked that question in another thread, and I've already answered, from memory (+-2) it was: 95 seats to PSUV, 65 to the opposition,and 2 for an independent party. Yes, PSUV has majority, all because the people chose so. Matter of fact, EU attended as observators :)
“Both the US and the UK have excellent snipers.”
There is an excellent UK trained sniper grade shooter in Uruguay.
The trouble is, we are limited to 0.243 win., but it will do out to 600 metres.
:o)
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