Colombian President Gustavo Petro released a resolution on Thursday supported by the majority of the countries that make up the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), expressing their “deep concern” over the US military deployment off the coast of Venezuela.
In the statement, the Colombian president emphasized that “the vast majority of CELAC members sign for peace in Latin America and the Caribbean” by supporting a declaration in which they “express their deep concern over the recent extra-regional military deployment in the region.”
Petro indicated that this is not an official statement from the integrationist organization since “a minority opposed” the accusation against the US.
In the document, the 21 members who supported the text called for “promoting a secure environment” and reiterated “their firm commitment to defending peace, stability, democracy, and development throughout the region.”
They also recalled that “Latin America and the Caribbean have been proclaimed a Zone of Peace,” which includes support for: “the prohibition of the threat or use of force, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the promotion of dialogue and multilateralism, unrestricted respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination.”
They also echoed the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which made Latin America and the Caribbean the first densely populated area in the world free of these weapons.
For the majority of CELAC members, they described the treaty against the proliferation of nuclear weapons as historic.
He further commented that among the group of countries, which includes, in addition to Colombia and Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico, and Brazil, they have recognized that “transnational organized crime and drug trafficking constitute a significant threat to achieving peaceful and inclusive societies.”
Along these lines, they expressed their willingness to combat them “as a priority, increasing regional and international cooperation within the framework of respect for international law.”
The Colombian president’s message comes amid growing US pressure and hostility toward Venezuela following the deployment of US ships in the Caribbean and off the Venezuelan coast, a clear threat to the South American country’s sovereignty.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
