The Mexican capital welcomed this weekend the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) with the aim of deepening regional integration and counteracting the influence of the Organization of American States (OAS) , sponsored by the United States. A total of 16 Heads of State, 2 Vice-Presidents and 13 Chancellers attended this appointment that is held behind closed doors at the National Palace. The Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, leads a summit that he had the presence of his counterparts of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, of Peru, Pedro Castillo, from Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle and two novelties of last Time: The absence of the Argentine Alberto Fernández, after the crisis opened in his government, and the unexpected arrival of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.
In his inaugural speech, Mexican president defended that his government's will is to convert the celac into "something similar to what was the economic community that gave rise to the current European Union" and that the ideal would be to achieve "an economic integration with The United States and Canada in the framework of respect for our sovereignties. " At the agenda of the Summit, discussions were contemplated on the access and distribution of vaccines against the pandemic and the creation of a Latin American and Caribbean space agency, but the issue that focused all the talks is the relaunch of this organism as an alternative to the question OAS, whose president, Luis Almagro, has been charged by several countries to be folded to Washington's will.
In this diplomatic war, those who have long been countries such as Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua, are now united each other as Mexico who openly request the dissolution of the OAS, as expressed in August the Mexican Chancellor, Marcelo Ebrard: "Goodbye to the OAS in its interventional, unaware and hegemonist sense and that another organization that we build in agreement with the USA for the 21st century". Nicolás Maduro reaches the appointment after a period of international isolation and under the threat of a capture that rewards recruits with 15 million dollars. The leader Chavista has thanked Mexico the invitation of him and defended that "we must pass page to divisionism."
The presence in the Mexican capital of Maduro and the Cuban Díaz-Canel have caused harsh reactions by conservative leaders of the region, such as Paraguayan Abdo Benítez, who has remembered that "my presence in this summit in no sense represents a recognition to the Government of Mr. Nicolás Maduro ", to which the Venezuelan has replicated" neither mine for yours ". Uruguayan Luis Lacalle has gone even further denouncing that "when he is entrusted with opponents, when human rights are not respected, we, in this quiet but firm voice, we must say with concern that we seriously see what happens in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela".
While there are governments that do not share the renewing spirit of the meeting, most coincide in recovering the impulse that gave rise to CELAC, at the beginning of 2010, when historical leaders of the Latin American left, such as Lula da Silva, Hugo Chávez, Evo Morales , Rafael Correa or Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, proposed to replace the OAS with an organism to erase the unaware influence of the US and Canada in the region. After six hours of deliberations, Mexican Chancellor, Marcelo Ebrard, announced the 44 points agreed upon in the Political Declaration of the Summit, each of which required pre-negotiating weeks.
Among them, the creation of a disaster fund and effects of climate change stands out, whose impact is already evident in some parts of the region, as in the 'dry corridor' of Central America or in the Amazonian jungle. The initial investment will be 15 million dollars and Ebrard has rated it as "a great advance", since "there is no fund in Latin America and the Caribbean who has that sum today." The CELAC will also boost an agency of its own space "so that we do not get late and have the technology and the possibilities of improving our well-being," explained by the Mexican Chancellor, as well as a regulatory agency that approves medicines and vaccines at the regional level.
"Something that has led us to unite us has been the lack of access to vaccines, since many do not even have a dose yet, which has been abusive and unfair," has sustained Ebrard when sharing the allegation of CELAC in favor of access Right to the medication. Among the middle of agreed points, several 'special statements' have also been issued, such as the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade on Cuba or the defense of Argentine sovereignty over the Falklands. The Mexican Chancellor has qualified the Summit as a success "because the CELAC is consolidated" and has insisted on the need to "maintain this spirit to have more results for our populations."
Date Of Update: 21 September 2021, 02:12
