CELAC summit highlights US isolation
CELAC summit highlights US isolation
Saturday, February 7, 2015
By Rachael Boothroyd
The US’s role in Latin America is facing a growing challenge. The 33 member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) vehemently rejected North American intervention in the continent, and particularly the US-led blockade of Cuba and recent sanctions against Venezuela.
These positions were part of the “Belen Declaration”, approved during CELAC’s third annual presidential summit, held on January 28th and 29th in Belen, Costa Rica.
Formed in 2011, CELAC is a political initiative proposed by former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who aimed to revive Simon Bolivar’s dream of a united Latin American continent.
The 22-page declaration read: “We reiterate our most profound rejection of the implementation of all coercive and unilateral measures and once more call on the US to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade which it has imposed on its sister nation for over five decades.”
The declaration includes 94 different points and is characterised by an emphasis on regional cooperation, social inclusion, sovereignty and right to self determination of member states. It is also committed to tackling poverty and inequality.
More:
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/58221
