Paraguay claims a Venezuela funded “cruel lobby” is discrediting the country in OAS

The Caribbean countries that depend economically from Venezuela have become a “cruel lobby”, strongly pressing to have Paraguay sanctioned by the Organization of American States claims that country’s representative.

Chavez and some members of Petrocaribe are hounding Paraguay Chavez and some members of Petrocaribe are hounding Paraguay

“They belong to the so called Petrocaribe and are economically dependent on Venezuelan oil and funds and have been constantly lobbying to have Paraguay sanctioned”, said Paraguayan ambassador before OAS, Hugo Saguier Caballero.

“The organization Petrocaribe is directly targeted to these Caribbean countries, some of which couldn’t survive without the aid from Venezuela and they are doing their utmost to discredit Paraguay, its constitutional process and current authorities”, claimed the ambassador.

Petrocaribe is a Caribbean alliance with Venezuela to purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment and includes 17 country members from the Caribbean, Central America plus Guyana and Suriname.

Paraguay seems to be subjected to some kind of “international impeachment” for recent events and “these countries want the OAS to sanction us”.

But “in this political international impeachment, different ideas and ideologies are at stake, and that is why we have the strong support from some countries that are well aware that this is not about whether the impeachment of former president Lugo was correct or not. Here there is a vicious attack linked to ideologies and different policies that consider they have lost the bastion they held in Paraguay” underlined Saguier Caballero.

An OAS fact-finding in-situ mission visited last week Paraguay and reported its findings to the Permanent Council which still has to decide on the situation. The process has been delayed because the new president of the council, the ambassador from Jamaica only arrived in Washington this week.

Mercosur and Unasur have suspended Paraguay until next year’s elections arguing that there was a “democratic rupture” and even a “congressional coup” by the way Lugo was removed from office and replaced by current president Federico Franco.

However United States, Canada and other OAS members have yet to express their position regarding events in Paraguay and have stated they will wait for the results of the OAS report which has been distributed among member countries.

Although the whole impeachment process could have some questionable angles it kept strictly to what the Paraguayan constitution dictates.

The same can’t be said of Mercosur and Unasur summary decisions to suspend Paraguay, particularly since taking advantage of the absence of Asuncion, the rest of Mercosur members hastily bur controversially approved the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of the group, when these decisions must be taken on a strictly consensus basis.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica said that “politics prevailed over procedures” and sometimes “these things must occur” for the good of organizations.

The Paraguayan congress was totally contrary to the incorporation of President Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela whom they consider a ‘non democratic leader’.

OAS calls on Argentina/UK to find peaceful way to solve Malvinas sovereignty dispute

The Organization of American States general assembly, meeting in Tiquipaya, Bolivia, passed a resolution urging the Argentine and British governments to find a peaceful way to solve the Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute.

”. The resolution underlines Argentina’s “constructive approach towards the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands”.

On the last day of session the organization urged both nations “to retake negotiations in order to soon find a peaceful way to solve the Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute” that caused a war between London and Buenos Aires in 1982.

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman invited the British representative in the OAS assembly to immediately engage in dialogue in order to find a definitive solution to the conflict.

“I would like to offer Great Britain the opportunity to meet in a room. The OAS secretary general can be present. I want to negotiate with Great Britain. I want to find a peaceful solution to this colonial conflict,” he said during the fourth session of the meeting.

Timerman regretted that London chose to ignore the 39 resolutions passed by the UN urging both nations to solve the bilateral conflict.

Before the final approval of the draft resolution several Foreign ministers read aloud similar statements in support of Argentina from Unasur, Mercosur and Celac calling for diplomatic negotiations on the Malvinas issue.

However Canada pointed out that it is for the Falkland Islands people to decide on their future adding that it did not agree with some chapters of the OAS resolution.

Likewise and as had been anticipated the US delegation adopted a neutral stance but also accepted the call for a peaceful solution to the bilateral dispute.

The draft resolution was presented to the general assembly by Brazil’s Deputy Secretary for International Policy, Vera Machado, and was approved by acclamation on request from the Uruguayan delegation.

The resolution reads as follows:

Considering its repeated statements that the Question of the Malvinas Islands is a matter of enduring hemispheric concern;

Recalling its resolution AG/RES. 928 (XVIII-O/88), adopted by consensus on November 19, 1988, in which it requested the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume negotiations in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute;

Bearing in mind that in its resolution AG/RES. 1049 (XX-O/90), it expressed satisfaction over the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries;

Recognizing that the accreditation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, under CP/RES. 655 (1041/95), as a permanent observer of the OAS reflects principles and values shared by that country and OAS member states, which facilitate greater mutual understanding;

Noting with satisfaction that the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland maintain important political, cultural and trade ties, share common values and are also engaged in close cooperation both bilaterally and in international fora;

Bearing in mind that, despite those ties and shared values, it has not yet been possible to resume the negotiations between the two countries with a view to solving the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, Georgia del Sur y Sandwich del Sur Islands and the surrounding maritime areas in the framework of resolutions 2065 (XX), 3160 (XXVIII), 31/49, 37/9, 38/12, 39/6, 40/21, 41/40, 42/19 and 43/25 of the United Nations General Assembly, the decisions adopted by the same body on the same question in the Special Committee on Decolonization, and the reiterated resolutions and declarations adopted at this General Assembly; and

Having heard the presentation by the head of delegation of the Argentine Republic,

Welcomes the reaffirmation of the will of the Argentine Government to continue exploring all possible avenues towards a peaceful settlement of the dispute and its constructive approach towards the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands.

Reaffirms the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the sovereignty dispute, in order to find a peaceful solution to this protracted controversy.

Decides to continue to examine the Question of the Falkland Islands at its subsequent sessions until a definitive settlement has been reached thereon.

UK at OAS assembly in Bolivia ratifies the Falklands’ people self determination

The UK ratified on Tuesday the Falkland Islands people’s self determination following a resolution from the OAS general assembly taking place in Bolivia calling on the two sides (Argentina and UK) to resume dialogue on the sovereignty of the Islands which are claimed by Argentina.

Fiona Clouder from the Foreign Office Desk for the Americas said during the last session of the Organization of American States assembly that the Falklands are a self-governing territory, its leaders are democratically elected and they have their own Constitution which outlines the relation with the UK by law.

“The future of the Islands is not in the hands of the UK or Argentina, nor any other country represented here at the assembly. It is in the hands of the people of the Falklands”, added Ms Clouder who insisted that the UK “will not talk about sovereignty unless the people of the Falklands so decides”.

“If they wish to change this, we will help them reach that change. Currently the people of the Falklands have made it clear that they prefer to keep the relation they have with the UK”, added the FCO officer.

As to the Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman’s petition to meet in Cochabamba, where the general assembly is taking place, to address the issue, Ms Clouder said it would be “an honour” for her to meet with the Argentine delegation but she must first ask for clearance from the UK and the Falklands governments.

The OAS distributed a photo where the Argentine minister and the UK OAS observer are shaking hands.

The act of shaking hands was described by the OAS as “historic” since it took place on the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war, and claims it is the first time the representatives from both countries adopt such an attitude after each country delivered its position on the dispute.

A few hours earlier Timerman claimed before the OAS General Assembly that the UK refuses to dialogue on the Falklands/Malvinas issue, ignoring 39 resolutions from the United Nations calling for resumption of talks.

Following Ms Clouder’s statement, Timerman underlined as a ‘great achievement’ for OAS that a representative from the Foreign Office was present at the assembly as an observer, but insisted on an official meeting, right away, to resume negotiations on the Falklands/Malvinas dispute.

The document approved by the OAS general assembly “reaffirms the need” for Argentina and the UK to resume negotiations “with the purpose of finding a peaceful solution to this prolonged controversy”.

Likewise the OAS expresses satisfaction at the Argentine government’s willingness to continue exploring all possible ways to peacefully resolve the controversy and announces the issue will continue to be examined in the coming sessions of the Assembly “until a definitive solution is reached”.