CELAC-EU Summit urges peace amid US escalation in the Caribbean

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Lula da Silva expressed opposition to growing US militarism in the hemisphere.

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By Ricardo Vaz, People's Dispatch

Latin American and European nations issued a call for peace and dialogue following a high-level summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU).

“We reiterate our opposition to the threat or use of force and to any action that is not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” read Sunday’s joint communiqué.

Latin American leaders worked to ensure that the recent US military buildup in the Caribbean, near Venezuelan territory, and extrajudicial strikes against small boats were part of the summit’s agenda and discussions. Since early September, US forces have struck a reported 20 vessels and killed 76 civilians.

The November 9-10 gathering in Santa Marta, Colombia, further emphasized the two blocs’ support for the “territorial integrity” of states and the importance of “preventing conflicts and preserving peace.”

“We coincide in the relevance of international cooperation, mutual respect and full adherence to international law, including in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking,” said the statement.

The firm position taken by the two blocs come as the Trump administration threatens land strikes inside Venezuela as part of its purported fight against drug trafficking. However, UN and DEA data contradict the White House’s “narcoterrorism” charges against Caracas, while analysts have argued that Washington is aiming for regime change.

“The threat to use military force has returned in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Brazilian President Lula da Silva said in his intervention at the meeting. “Old rhetorical maneuvers are being recycled to justify illegal operations,” he added.

Colombian president and summit host Gustavo Petro called the event a “great success,” denouncing US pressure on some countries to boycott it.

“Sovereignty and multilateralism must be respected above any kind of authoritarian or imperial criteria,” Petro said in the gathering’s opening session. He urged the CELAC and EU to constitute a “unified beacon” to address “any kind of barbarism.”

The final statement established the two blocs’ joint commitments in a number of areas, including migration, the environment and tackling transnational crime. Several countries registered their disagreement with specific sections of the declaration, while Nicaragua and Venezuela withdrew from the document altogether.

Caracas has not explained the reasons for its opposition to the joint declaration. The South American nation was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, who delivered a letter from President Nicolás Maduro.

“The principles of national sovereignty and self-determination are at stake today,” Maduro’s missive declared. “Venezuela will not accept the imposition of the old Monroe Doctrine that looks to unleash regime-change coups in the continent to take over natural resources.”

The Venezuelan president recalled in his letter that Washington’s lethal boat strikes have been deemed extrajudicial executions by UN experts and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, adding that the attacks should be “investigated and condemned.”

“Faced with the Caribbean war threats and the UN-denounced executions, we are obliged to maintain peace in the region, and to join forces to demand an end to the attacks and military threats against our peoples,” Maduro expressed.

The Venezuelan government has denounced the Trump administration’s threats and military buildup at the United Nations Security Council, while also organizing large-scale defense exercises. Since August, the US has amassed warships, airplanes and thousands of troops in the Caribbean. Its largest aircraft carrier is reportedly headed to the region.

Social movements pledge to defend sovereignty

The CELAC-EU summit was preceded by a two-day gathering of Latin American and Caribbean social movements, also in Santa Marta, that brought together hundreds of activists.

Anaís Márquez, a member of a Venezuelan commune who took part in the country’s delegation, told Venezuela Analysis that the meeting was significant and allowed organizations to work towards regional integration “from the peoples’ perspective.”

“This social summit saw the region’s movements get together and advance towards shared goals of sovereignty and regional integration from the peoples’ perspective,” she explained.

The social movement summit produced a joint statement expressing solidarity with Palestine, denouncing the military threats against Venezuela, and pledging to fight for social justice, migrant rights, and against gender discrimination.

“The joint work between Latin American and Caribbean governments and peoples is the first line of defense of our continental sovereignty,” the declaration read. “This III Social Summit of the Peoples is a step toward defending our continent as a zone of peace in the face of imperialist threats.”

This article was first published on Venezuela Analysis.

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