The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

López Obrador calls for trade integration and the end of blockades in Latin America

2021-09-18T18:28:44.996Z


The CELAC summit in Mexico shows the fractures between the countries regarding the organization of the region


The positions among the Latin American countries on how to organize the region are widely divided, as has become evident at the summit of the Community of American and Caribbean States (CELAC) that was held this Saturday in Mexico City. As host of the meeting, the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has proposed the commercial integration of the countries of the region to build an economic community with the United States and Canada. "It seems to me that it is time to replace the policy of blockades and mistreatment with the option of respecting each other, walking together and associating ourselves for the good of America without violating our sovereignty," he mentioned in his opening speech at the summit that took place out the Treasury room of the National Palace.

López Obrador's intention to replace the Organization of American States (OAS), sponsored by the United States, by CELAC, which he launched in a controversial speech last July, took a back seat to raise a debate on how to strengthen the Latin American effort. The presence of the presidents of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, at times stirred the spirits of the debate table and the interventions were divided between those countries that seek CELAC to represent Latin America as a whole and who consider that this is the role of the OAS.

It was Maduro who has put forward another proposal to get Latin American countries to move away from the Washington-based organization: to return to CELAC an institution with a general secretariat that addresses problems between countries through councils. "There is a contradiction between the OAS and CELAC," the Venezuelan president insisted. Other leaders such as Luis Lacalle, from Uruguay, have opted for the coexistence of the two international organizations. “This does not mean that integrating CELAC in some way makes participation in the OAS obsolete. National governments, as well as the governments of the different organizations, are essentially open to criticism and are also a matter of change ”, he argued.

López Obrador, who has taken a turn in his Latin American policy in recent months with a greater participation of Mexico in the affairs of the region, has insisted on respect for the sovereignty and internal politics of the countries.

His plea in defense of Cuba - which starred in the Independence Day festivities - also reached the top with the insistence on the United States to stop the economic blockade against the island.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel used his speech to thank the Mexican for his support and send a message to the Administration of US President Joe Biden about the trade embargo: “This criminal and immoral policy is a violation of human rights of the Cubans".

Subscribe here

to the

newsletter

of EL PAÍS México and receive all the informative keys of the current situation of this country

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2021-09-18

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-04T10:41:08.070Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.