Boric, ahead of South American support for Maduro: “The human rights situation in Venezuela is not a narrative construct”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s diplomatic rehabilitation, at least on a regional scale, was equally received by South American heads of state this Tuesday, as he gathered in Brasilia for an informal summit convened by Luiz Inacio Lula. Da Silva. The purpose of the meeting was not to promote South American integration, which has been plagued by ideological polarization in recent years. Venezuela marked the first clash between South American presidents in nine years. All have celebrated Maduro’s return to the international arena, but Chile’s leftist Gabriel Boric and Uruguayan rightist Luis Lacal Bov have clarified their respectable criticism of Venezuela and Chavismo’s responsibility for the deepening crisis. His country.

Leaving the conference, the Chilean president stressed that welcoming Venezuela does not mean a blank check or oblivion. “We are delighted that Venezuela is returning to multilateral events [,,,] However, that does not mean sweeping principles that are important to us under the rug. Boric told reporters that he respectfully agreed with some of Lula’s words the previous day. “The human rights situation is not a narrative construct, it is a stark reality,” he asserted. Lula’s speech raised eyebrows at home and abroad and was repeated by the Brazilian president in his appearance after the summit. Meanwhile, for Boerik, respect for human rights is non-negotiable, regardless of the color of the ruler who violates them.

On his way out, Maduro told reporters the summit was “the starting point for a new phase.” “I have no problem speaking openly with any political force, any president, any current. […] As long as there is respect”. Since the end of interim president Juan Quito’s tenure last year, many countries, including neighbors, have been rekindling ties with Chavista Venezuela.

Apart from Lula, the crowd included Alberto Fernandez (Argentina), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Gabriel Boric (Chile), Gustavo Pedro (Colombia), Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador), Irfan Ali (Guyana), Mario Abdo Benitez (Paraguay), Sa Santogi ( Suriname), Luis Lagalle Poe (Uruguay), Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) and on behalf of Peru, its Prime Minister Luis Alberto Otterola, the ideologically diverse meeting, is a meeting without. A president.

In a family photo, Venezuela’s Maduro is on the left next to the presidents of Suriname and Guyana. In the center, Lula, Fernandez, Arce, Pedro and Boric. To encourage trust and open dialogue, each president was accompanied by his chancellor and one or two advisers.

Lula acknowledged that the days of co-rule with Hugo Chávez, Nestor Kirchner, Evo Morales or Rafael Correa are over and the region is now pluralistic. “We have to learn to live with that pluralism, because it means using democracy until the end results.”

From right, Uruguayan Luis Lacalle Po also expressed his surprise on Monday that Lula blamed a narrative of Venezuela’s vices. Like Boric and other leaders, the president, who recently reopened his embassy in Caracas, called attention to some of the high-level principles included in the final declaration, which was still in the negotiation phase: “When we sign, we are not getting [todos los presentes] The Royal Spanish Academy has the same definition of respect for institutions, human rights and democracy. Recognized by text recognition. And Boric and Lacalle both insisted on thanking Lula for hosting and organizing the meeting.

With half a century of politics behind him, Lula is the dean of southern conglomerate presidents and has brought his colleagues together to get to know them better. Personal communication is his forte. He wants them to put aside their undeniable ideological differences, cooperate more and find a way to work together on global and local challenges. As planned, Peruvian President Tina Polwarte is the only one missing, who cannot leave her country because she does not have a vice president to replace her.

Before the official dinner, Lula appeared before the press and assessed the day. Amid elaborate responses that go back to moments of cotangente’s long political career, he sums up in one powerful sentence the need for the southern conch to act as a bloc. “Either we fight among ourselves and meet to defend our interests together, or we are puppets in the hands of the big economies,” he said, before reiterating his belief that it was time to promote dollar-backed currencies in trade relations. No, create its own currency for South America or BRICS, the emerging club of nations that includes China, Russia, India and South Africa.

Lula opened the meeting by acknowledging a failure: “In the region, we allow ideologies to divide us and interfere with efforts at integration. We abandoned the means of dialogue and cooperation, and with that, we all lost.

Gone is the previous order in Brazil, with far-right Jair Bolsonaro as president, and Brazil has become an international pariah. Lula made no secret of wanting to revive Unasura, but not everyone agreed. They have agreed to form a group of foreign ministers who will present their options within 120 days.

Although Unasur was born as an all-South American club amid a wave of leftist governments 15 years ago, the rightward turn by South American voters in 2018 has left more than half apprehensive. Its members formed a club of conservatives, Prosur. It will be about overcoming the phase of institutions turning into clubs of friends of the left or right to organize themselves in the style of the African Union or the European Union. Together they will be the fifth largest economy in the world, the presenter asserted. Among the proposals, even an Erasmus student exchange.

Subscribe here Get the EL PAÍS America newsletter and all the important information about current affairs in the region.