After the extraordinary meeting of the chancellors of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), summoned in Quito last week to deal with the United States labeling of Venezuela —through a law— as an "extraordinary threat" to the threat of that country and the implementation of sanctions, the regional organization issued a statement in which it requests the government of Obama to abrogate the decree. It is expected for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to bring forth a declaration of the same tenor.

The meeting had a perfect attendance of the twelve chancellors of the region and resulted in a significative boost to the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who faces an economic crisis and the destabilizing attempts of the country's opposition and the United States.

In the letter, the chancellors labeled the actions as an "interventionist threat on the sovereignty and on the principle of non intervention on the domestic affairs of other states" and asked Washington to look for "alternatives of dialogue" with Venezuela based on peace and the respect for self-determination.

The meeting had a perfect attendance of the twelve chancellors of the region and resulted in a significative boost to the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who faces an economic crisis and the destabilizing attempts of the country's opposition and the United States.

In another public document produced during the gathering, the UNASUR, which seeks to function as a bridge of dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, insisted on the need for the country's situation to be "resolved through the democratic mechanisms provided by the Venezuelan Constitution" and manifested "its support to the holding of the next parliamentary elections", set for the second half of this year.

The reading of the resolutions was carried out by the chancellor of Uruguay Rodolfo Nin Novoa, something which was interpreted as a gesture from that country to overcome its recent diplomatic slip with Venezuela.

Last week, the Uruguayan vicepresident Raul Sendic said that he lacked proofs on the intervention of the United States in the Caribbean country, which drew Nicolas Maduro to refer to him in a speech as a "coward". The reaction did not sit well in Uruguay, which summoned the Venezuelan Ambassador because of considering the declarations of the Venezuelan head of state as "unfriendly".

/Instituto Manquehue