• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > Latin America

‘Lapdogs of Imperialism’: Venezuela Slams Critics at OAS

  • The 12 nations also called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abandon plans for the upcoming Constituent Assembly.

    The 12 nations also called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abandon plans for the upcoming Constituent Assembly. | Photo: Alba Ciudad

Published 20 June 2017
Opinion

Twelve members of the 34-nation OAS accused Venezuela of “undermining democracy,” “failing to feed its people” and “violating rights.”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez slammed critics of the Bolivarian Revolution at the Organization of American States, OAS, general assembly in Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday, calling them “lapdogs of imperialism.”

RELATED:
Canada Leads Attacks on Venezuela to Push ‘Political Agenda’

The United States, Brazil and 10 other members of the 34-nation OAS issued a letter accusing Venezuela of “undermining democracy,” “failing to feed its people” and “violating rights.”

“Considering the interruption of the democratic process in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we believe that there should be a settled solution that includes all Venezuelan parties for the benefit of the people of that nation,” said the letter issued at the contentious OAS meeting.

The statement called for the release of so-called “political prisoners,” an election timetable, a "humanitarian channel" to ship food and medicine, and the creation of a group or mechanism to help "effective dialogue among Venezuelans."

The 12 nations also called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abandon plans for the upcoming Constituent Assembly, a process intended to allow for massive democratic participation in the rewriting of the country’s constitution. Maduro has indicated that it will bring “power to the people” and create the political space to allow for citizens to confront corruption.

Rodriguez, who slammed foreign meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela, fired back by criticizing the human rights records of countries that endorsed the letter. She criticized Mexico's human rights record, for example, and highlighted poverty, violence and migration in Honduras.

RELATED:
Mexican Social Movements Stand with Venezuela Against Meddling

She also spoke out against U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, slamming plans to build a wall along its shared border with Mexico, among other policy initiatives.

"Great, we've reached the boss," Rodriguez said as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan began a speech, reiterating that the OAS is an arm of U.S. hegemony in the region.

"The only way you could impose this on us is with your Marines, which would meet a strong response in Venezuela," she added, referring to the proposal to create a group of nations to help “resolve” turmoil in Venezuela.

Alluding to Venezuela's withdrawal process from the OAS, Rodriguez said that Venezuela would never again seek membership in an organization subverted by the hegemonic power of the United States.

During her trip to Mexico, Rodriguez met with family members of the missing 43 Ayotzinapa students, urging the Mexican government to investigate the case more thoroughly.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.