March 24, 2021
Alberto Fernandez
The entire reason for the formation of the so-called Lima Group, that came about in 2017 by the arm twisting of complaint neo-liberal governments in Latin America by the US to undermine the sovereignty of Venezuela. Even though the Argentine president felt he had to equivocate and instruct the Maduro government about what it should be doing, the withdrawal of Argentina is a positive development in the weakening of a tool of imperialism. – Editorial
As of today, Argentina will no longer be part of the so-called Lima Group, the flagship alliance of the regional right, made up of 14 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Chile. After questioning its latest statements and refusing to sign them, the government of Alberto Fernández resigned from the group, considering that the actions promoted from there “have led to nothing” and were aimed at “isolating the Venezuelan government and its representatives”.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it stressed that, since the arrival of Fernández to the Casa Rosada, “Argentina has never participated in meetings or signed documents” of the Lima Group and emphasized that his administration, “the only thing it has done” with respect to this alliance was to “distance itself”.
Recently, the President had stressed the need to strengthen The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), differentiating the spirit and objectives of the other regional bloc. “The Lima Group was created for ideological reasons and is obsessed with Venezuela, while UNASUR is obsessed with Latin America’s growth”, Fernández said last Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry statement points out that “the participation of a sector of the Venezuelan opposition as a member of the Lima Group has led to the adoption of positions that our government has not been able to and cannot support”.
The Lima Group, notoriously promoted by the government of Mauricio Macri, was established following the so-called Lima Declaration of 8 August 2017, in which representatives of 14 American countries signed the first of several documents criticizing the political and human rights situation in Venezuela.
“Once again, we reiterate that the best way to help Venezuelans is to facilitate an inclusive dialogue that does not favor any particular sector, but rather to achieve elections accepted by the majority with international control,” the letter from the Palacio San Martín states.
With the same emphasis, it affirms that the Venezuelan authorities cannot ignore “that producing the conditions for a productive dialogue is primarily their responsibility”.
“A dialogue of which they must be a part, but from which they cannot exclude the opposition as a whole. A dialogue that would undoubtedly be enriched by the voices of the country’s main social actors, such as the Church, the business sector, and non-governmental organizations, without exclusion,” the communiqué stresses.
Argentina also maintains that, in “a context in which the pandemic has wreaked havoc in the region, the sanctions and blockades imposed on Venezuela and its authorities, as well as the destabilization attempts in 2020, have only aggravated the situation of its population and, in particular, that of its most vulnerable sectors”.
The sanctions, according to the Foreign Ministry, “have affected the enjoyment of human rights of the Venezuelan population, as stated in the report of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights”.
The full press release:
Today, the Republic of Argentina formally withdrew from the so-called Lima Group, considering that the actions that the Group has been promoting at the international level, seeking to isolate the Government of Venezuela and its representatives, have not led to anything. On the other hand, the participation of a sector of the Venezuelan opposition as another member of the Lima Group has led to the adoption of positions that our government has not been able to and cannot support.
Once again, we reiterate that the best way to help Venezuelans is to facilitate an inclusive dialogue that does not favor any particular sector, but rather to achieve elections accepted by the majority with international control. It is clear that the Venezuelan authorities cannot ignore, however, that producing the conditions for a productive dialogue is primarily their responsibility. A dialogue of which they must be a part, but from which they cannot exclude the opposition as a whole. A dialogue that would undoubtedly be enriched by the voices of the country’s main social actors, such as the Church, the business sector, and non-governmental organizations, without exclusion.
In a context in which the pandemic has wreaked havoc in the region, the sanctions and blockades imposed on Venezuela and its authorities, as well as the destabilization attempts in 2020, have only aggravated the situation of its population and, in particular, that of its most vulnerable sectors. It is important to note that sanctions have affected the enjoyment of human rights of the Venezuelan population, as found in the report of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights.
In this spirit, Argentina will continue to uphold its commitment to stability in the region and will seek peaceful, democratic solutions that respect the sovereignty and internal affairs of each state.
Source: Pagina 12, Translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English