Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called for “rescuing the firm will” for peace expressed by the members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in the face of the “belligerent doctrine” that the US government seeks to impose, following the military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled on his social media that 12 years ago, on January 29, 2014, the heads of state and government of the 33 countries that make up CELAC signed the “Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace” during the bloc’s summit held in Havana.
“Today, the peace, security, and stability of Our America are endangered by the bellicose doctrine of the U.S. government of imposing ‘peace through force’ and its marked interest in reviving the discredited Monroe Doctrine,” Rodríguez warned.
Restoring the Will for Peace
Faced with this threat, which began last August with the U.S. naval deployment in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the Cuban Foreign Minister urgently called for “rescuing the firm will of all CELAC members, expressed in that Proclamation, which is now being violated by the desires for imperialist domination.”
The regional community’s declaration highlights the following points: “Latin America and the Caribbean are declared a Zone of Peace based on respect for the principles and norms of International Law, including the international instruments to which the member states are party, and the Principles and Purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.”
It also establishes that the CELAC countries have a “permanent commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes, in order to forever banish the use and threat of force from our region.”
US Aggression and Maduro’s Kidnapping
Under the pretext of fighting narcoterrorism, the US launched a massive military aggression on January 3 in Venezuelan territory, affecting Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. The operation concluded with the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were taken to New York. The targeted locations were primarily of military interest, although urban areas were also affected, and there were civilian casualties.
On January 9, Trump declared that, given the Venezuelan government’s cooperation with the U.S., he had canceled a “second wave of attacks” that had been expected against Venezuela. However, he affirmed that the U.S. Navy’s military deployment in the Caribbean would continue, citing security reasons.
Caracas described Washington’s actions as a “very serious military aggression” and warned that the objective of the attacks “is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to forcibly break the nation’s political independence.”
Many countries around the world, including Russia and China, urged the release of Maduro and his wife. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to decide its own destiny without any external interference.
According to Venezuela’s Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace, at least 100 people died in the attack, including 32 Cubans from the group guarding Maduro.
IMAGE CREDIT: Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( Photo: CELAC )
[ SOURCE: RT en español ]
