International
‘Brazil is back,’ Lula hails at Latin America leaders summit
January 25 | By AFP | Philippe Bernes-Lasserre / Mauricio Rabuffetti |
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared Tuesday that his country is “back in the region” after joining more than a dozen other Latin American leaders at a summit in Buenos Aires.
Less than a month after his inauguration, Lula arrived in the Argentine capital looking to rebuild bridges after his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro had pulled out of the grouping.
“Brazil is back in the region and ready to work side-by-side with you with a very strong feeling of solidarity and closeness,” said the 77-year-old leader during the seventh Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit, which brings together 33 nations.
Lula, who previously served as Brazil’s president from 2003-10, was one of the founders of CELAC during the first “pink wave” of leftward political shifts on the continent over a decade ago.
But Bolsonaro pulled Brazil out of the group over what he perceived as its support for undemocratic governments in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba.
Lula spoke Tuesday about the “multiple crises” affecting the world — from the pandemic to climate change, geopolitical tensions, food insecurities and threats to democracy.
“All this happens in the midst of an unacceptable rise in inequality, poverty and hunger,” said Lula, the only leader to publicize his speech at the summit.
Democracy and its threats — especially from the far right — were a central theme of the summit.
“We cannot allow the recalcitrant and fascist far right to put our institutions and our people in peril,” said the host of the forum, Argentina’s center-left President Alberto Fernandez, in opening remarks.
He pointed to the riots by Bolsonaro supporters at the seats of power in Brasilia earlier this month and the alleged attempt to assassinate his vice president, Cristina Kirchner, in September.
But Fernandez made no mention of communist Cuba or the accusations of political oppression made against radical leftist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia.
In fact, with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in attendance, Fernandez called for an end to the US-led blockade of Cuba and Venezuela.
They are “a perverse method of punishment, not of the governments but of the people,” Fernandez said.
‘Latin America is bankrupt’
Host Argentina this week hailed a “new climate in Latin America,” with the region ushering in a fresh wave of left or center-left governments since 2018 — including Mexico, Argentina, Honduras, Chile, Colombia and Brazil.
A forum for consultation and cooperation, CELAC has no power to enforce any agreements between its members.
And while Fernandez stressed the need to “strengthen the institutions in our region,” CELAC is struggling to unite members over successive regional crises, such as in Peru.
“Latin America is bankrupt from the institutional point of view,” Ignacio Bartesaghi, an international relations expert at the Catholic University of Uruguay, told AFP.
“There is not even certain basic consensus in Latin America, as on the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship,” he stressed.
“There are (at CELAC) presidents who do not even recognize each other,” he noted, alluding to situations such as Paraguay’s Mario Abdo Benitez, whose country broke diplomatic relations with Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela in 2019.
‘Absence of dialogue’
Maduro called off his own trip to the gathering at the last minute, citing “a risk of aggression” from “the neo-fascist right,” a possible reference to some Argentine opposition politicians calling for him to be arrested on arrival.
He was due on Monday to meet with Lula, who instead held talks with Diaz-Canel.
He sent a message to the forum blasting the “criminal sanctions” against his government, in particular against the state oil company PDVSA.
Other significant absentees in Buenos Aires include Mexico’s left-wing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, leader of the second largest economy in Latin America and host in 2021 of the last CELAC summit.
CELAC however remains the partner of choice for China and the European Union to negotiate when cooperating with the region.
But the last joint-EU summit was in 2015, highlighting the lack of regional consensus, says Bernabe Malacalza, researcher at the CONICET Argentine national research center.
In this sense, the return of Lula could give a boost to certain sub-regional issues, such as the free-trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur group which comprises Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The deal was finalized in 2019 but never ratified, due in particular to concerns about Bolsonaro’s environmental policy.
Lula has indicated a willingness to resume contacts.
Meanwhile, Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou proposed a free-trade zone extending from “Mexico to the south of South America.”
International
Venezuela mobilizes forces nationwide as tensions with U.S. rise
Venezuela’s armed forces launched a “massive” nationwide deployment on Tuesday in response to what the government calls “imperialist threats” from the United States, which continues its anti-drug military operation in the region and is preparing for the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier.
Since late August, U.S. forces have maintained a growing presence in the Caribbean to combat alleged drug trafficking originating from Colombia and Venezuela. The operation has resulted in the bombing of 20 vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific, leaving 76 people dead.
Venezuelan authorities claim the U.S. mission is aimed at toppling President Nicolás Maduro. While insisting he seeks peace, Maduro has repeatedly warned the country is prepared to defend itself and has frequently showcased military activities.
A statement from Venezuela’s Defense Ministry said the deployment includes land, air, naval, river and missile systems; armed forces units; the Bolivarian militia; and additional police, military and civilian defense structures.
State broadcaster VTV aired speeches from military leaders in various states, along with images of troops mobilizing and equipment being positioned.
However, analysts note that these frequent and highly publicized announcements do not always lead to visible operations on the ground.
On Monday, Maduro cautioned that Venezuela has the “strength and power” to respond to any aggression, including mobilizing civilians. “If imperialism were to strike and do harm, from the moment the order is given, the entire Venezuelan people would mobilize and fight,” he warned.
International
Jara: “Real toughness” means targeting drug money in Chile’s crime fight
Left-wing presidential candidate Jeannette Jara said during Chile’s final debate on Monday that the “real tough approach” to crime is to go after the financial networks behind drug trafficking and organized crime.
Rising crime, often linked in public discourse to a surge in irregular migration, has become the top concern among Chileans and has dominated the election campaign.
Although Chile’s homicide rate has nearly tripled over the past decade — from 2.5 to 6.7 per 100,000 inhabitants — the country remains one of the safest in Latin America, according to the United Nations.
“I want to call on the right-wing candidates to join us in targeting those who control the money behind drug trafficking and organized crime. That is real tough action,” Jara, who is favored to win Sunday’s first-round vote, declared during the debate.
All eight candidates faced off on Monday night in the final televised confrontation before the election.
Polls — unavailable since they were suspended on November 2 — indicate that far-right candidate José Antonio Kast is likely to finish second behind Jara, but would hold the advantage in a potential December 14 runoff.
Kast is expected to consolidate support from three other right-wing contenders: Evelyn Matthei, Johannes Kaiser and Franco Parisi.
International
Investigation widens after Michoacán mayor’s killer shot post-arrest
Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Tuesday that the investigation into the killing of a popular mayor from the western state of Michoacán now also includes his security detail. The announcement comes after the governor said the alleged attacker — a 17-year-old — was shot dead after having already been detained.
“The municipal police officers who formed the mayor’s first security ring will give new statements,” García Harfuch said during the president’s daily morning press briefing, noting that includes the officer who admitted firing at the assailant.
He added that authorities are examining both the weapon that killed the attacker and the one that fatally shot the mayor. He did not clarify whether the 14 National Guard members assigned to the mayor’s protection are also under investigation.
Carlos Manzo, mayor of the city of Uruapan, about 400 kilometers west of Mexico City, was gunned down the night of November 1 while surrounded by dozens of people taking part in Day of the Dead festivities.
Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said Monday that investigators are trying to determine why lethal force was used on the attacker and whether it was excessive. “The killer was detained and moments later there was a struggle and a single shot that killed the assailant,” he said.
Authorities are also reviewing “what happened that led to a lapse or weakening in the mayor’s security cordon,” the governor added, noting that the eight municipal bodyguards were personally chosen by Manzo.
Venezuela mobilizes forces nationwide as tensions with U.S. rise
Jara: “Real toughness” means targeting drug money in Chile’s crime fight
Investigation widens after Michoacán mayor’s killer shot post-arrest
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Internacionales3 days agoEl Salvador sends medical Aid and relief teams to Jamaica after hurricane Melissa
-
International1 day agoRecord cold wave freezes Eastern U.S., iguanas falling from trees in Florida
-
International3 days agoFour dead, 44 injured in riot at Ecuador prison as gang violence intensifies
-
International3 days agoU.S. Senate holds emergency session as shutdown threatens economy
-
International16 hours agoVenezuela mobilizes forces nationwide as tensions with U.S. rise
-
Internacionales3 days agoU.S. to restore ambassador-level relations with Bolivia after 17 years
-
Internacionales3 days agoRodrigo Paz takes office in Bolivia, ending 20 years of Socialist Rule
-
International16 hours agoInvestigation widens after Michoacán mayor’s killer shot post-arrest
-
International16 hours agoUSS Gerald R. Ford arrives in Latin America amid rising U.S. military presence
-
International1 day agoPeru opens new probe into ex-president Humala over killings and forced disappearances
-
International16 hours agoJara: “Real toughness” means targeting drug money in Chile’s crime fight