The United States believes that the Organization of American States (OAS) should continue to be the main forum for discussion to address challenges and concerns in the region.
This was stated this Thursday by the US ambassador to the OAS, Francisco Mora, during a press conference, convinced that this international organization must demonstrate its relevance throughout the region to “defend democracy and human rights.”
“Particularly at this time, when we are seeing an effort to weaken democracies and violate rights, I think the OAS is now more important than ever,” he commented.
Mora was nominated in mid-2021 by US President Joe Biden, but was not confirmed by the Senate until late last year. The diplomat arrives in a particularly turbulent time in the region, where some political and social crises have been unleashed, and with an eye on countries like Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In favor of the people of Nicaragua
Regarding the nation led by Daniel Ortega, Mora believes that the “OAS has clearly pronounced itself in a positive manner in favor of the Nicaraguan people and democracy” and should continue to do so, despite the refusal of the Central American government.
“Unfortunately, the Ortega-Murillo regime is not there and has no interest or willingness to enter into talks, not only with the OAS, but with its own people,” he said, insisting that “the OAS and the United States would be willing to have talks “in favor of the country’s democracy and provided that” there was seriousness on the part of Nicaragua to have an open, honest dialogue.
In the middle of last year, Daniel Ortega renounced that Nicaragua had a diplomatic presence before the OAS, considering that his country “has dignity” and “does not accept impositions” from abroad. In addition, he warned that the members of his Executive were “willing to fight Goliath, if Goliath attacks us”, making a clear allusion to the measures that could be derived at that time in the form of sanctions.
“Nicaragua decided a year ago to withdraw from the OAS because it did not want to endure the pressure, the effort from the members of the OAS and the Inter-American Commission, which had produced important reports on human rights. He simply isolated himself from the inter-American system and has not wanted to have any conversation with the OAS, with any other international organization, much less with his people,” Mora reacted.
Expectation for Venezuela
Mora also spoke of the situation in Venezuela, a country that, like Nicaragua, also withdrew from the OAS in 2019. “From today the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela does not belong to the OAS. We are out of the OAS by the will of the people, having complied with everything established in the founding charter of the OAS,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced at the time.
Since then, some changes have taken place, and the government and opposition have become closer.
The US representative before the international organization did not enter to assess the dialogues between the ruling party and the opposition that have taken place in recent months with the intention of finding a way out of the deep crisis that the country is experiencing, but he was convinced that if these approaches are fruitful to achieve “free and fair elections” in the country, there is no reason to think that this Latin American nation will once again have a diplomatic presence in the OAS.
“When that happens in Venezuela, there is no reason to think that the next government that is in place after these free, fair and verified elections, can return with a representative before the Permanent Council,” he said.
environmental policies
On the other hand, the US diplomat also confirmed that, in addition to continuing to promote recovery policies due to the coronavirus, the US government’s strategy also involves promoting environmental policies and thus facing the consequences of climate change with “concrete actions and measures” and They don’t just have to do with natural disasters.
“Climate change, for example, is causing the migration that we are experiencing in many countries. It is a threat that affects and causes nutritional problems, ”he said in this regard.
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