The new representative of Colombia in the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Ernesto Vargas, said this Wednesday that his country will condemn the human rights violations in Nicaragua when it sees it necessary, but will prioritize the integration of the American countries.
Asked by Efe if he would vote on a resolution condemning the government of Daniel Ortega, the diplomat replied: “When we have to make a wake-up call, we will do it, but always with the idea of achieving the integration of the peoples of America. That for us is a much more important thing.”
The arrival of Vargas at the OAS, which this Wednesday spoke for the first time before the Permanent Council, was surrounded by controversy due to his absence in a session last month to condemn Nicaragua for the closure of organizations and the restrictions on religious institutions in the country.
“Humanitarian reasons”
The government of the new Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, explained that he did not participate in the session for strategic, humanitarian and “non-ideological” reasons.
The Foreign Minister of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva Durán, came out of the scandal over the absence of the South American country in the regional condemnation of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, on August 12 last. In a statement, the official denied that it was due to “ideological reasons” and attributed it to “humanitarian and strategic”, however, he did not offer details.
Leyva’s pronouncement occurs after the sustained criticism in Colombia by the main parties in Congress who demanded an explanation from President Gustavo Petro, after days of silence that cast doubt on his democratic commitment, while Ortega persists in his human rights violations in Nicaragua.
“The window of opportunity for a major humanitarian action in Nicaragua coincided with the vote that day,” said Leyva, who attributed Colombia’s subsequent silence to the fact that efforts could not be made public before obtaining a result.
He presents himself as a “consensus promoter”
Ambassador Vargas, who was commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), appeared this Wednesday before the plenary session of the body and assured that he seeks to be a “promoter of consensus.”
He pointed out the construction of peace in Colombia and the change in policy towards drug trafficking as two of the main issues that the Government of Gustavo Petro seeks to promote in the inter-American forum.
“We must be aware that the fight against drugs has failed,” he stated before the OAS Permanent Council in Washington.
The ambassador did not allude to the controversy in his speech, but assured that he seeks to promote consensus and be a “defender of democratic values” in his new position.
In addition to giving an opening speech to the 35 member countries of the OAS, the Colombian ambassador presented a document that will be voted on at the General Assembly in Lima next week, which supports the peace process in Colombia.
The draft of the declaration, to which the ambassadors of Mexico, Canada and Argentina already gave their support this Wednesday, values in a “positive way” the efforts of the Colombian Government “aimed at achieving total peace.”
