MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

In support of Venezuela, Uruguay abandons the Rio Treaty

Uruguayan foreign minister Nino Novoa making the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday midday in Montevideo

Uruguay will leave the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR, also known as Rio Pact) due to an “obvious attempt” by the other signatories to use it to threaten Venezuela with the use of force, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said at a press conference in Montevideo on Tuesday.

TIAR, a regional defense treaty signed in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro, was invoked by the United States and its Latin American allies earlier in September to facilitate further collective action to confront the threat posed by president Nicolas Maduro and his regime. On Monday, TIAR signatories agreed to introduce and implement sanctions against entities and individuals linked to the Venezuelan president, allegedly suspicious of money laundering and other economic crimes..

Only Uruguay voted against the resolution, while Trinidad and Tobago abstained.

”Uruguay will withdraw from the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance because there is an obvious attempt, there is a clear intention (by the other signatories) to violate international law“. Nin Novoa argued.

”Furthermore, international law does not allow and prohibits threats, the use of force and unilateral sanctions,“ the Uruguayan foreign minister insisted.

Montevideo had earlier threatened to leave the pact if military action or other measures against Venezuela was approved. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, however, told reporters after the Rio Pact meeting that ”there was no discussion about military intervention in Venezuela” during the talks.

However Uruguay believes the Monday resolution was a first step towards making legitimate military action against Venezuela.

Venezuela faces the US-led effort to oust the government of Maduro and replace him with self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido. The United States has imposed a whole raft of sanctions against Venezuela and frozen some of the country's assets. It has also targeted with similar sanctions the leaders and top officials of the Maduro regime.