The leftists governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain released a joint statement over the weekend rejecting the American law enforcement operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
In the statement, published in Spanish by the group’s five Spanish-speaking nations and in Portuguese by Brazil, the group of nations expressed their “deep concern and rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally in Venezuelan territory,” denouncing the United States’ actions to be in contravention of the Charter of the United Nations.
Far-left President of Colombia Gustavo Petro published a copy of the statement on official X account.
“These actions set an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and put the civilian population at risk,” the statement read in part.
“We reiterate that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law,” the statement continued. “We reaffirm that only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity.”
The six leftist governments continued their joint statement by reaffirming that Latin America and the Caribbean is a “zone of peace,” a designation repeatedly espoused since 2014 by CELAC — a 33-regional bloc founded by Venezuela’s late socialist dictator Hugo Chávez in 2011 that excludes the United States and Canada.
The statement urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and member states of U.N.-relevant institutions to use “their good offices to contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and the preservation of regional peace.”
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“We express our concern at any attempt at government control, administration, or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which is incompatible with international law and threatens the political, economic, and social stability of the region,” the statement concluded.
On Saturday, U.S. military forces carried out “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a law enforcement action in Caracas to capture Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores — both of whom are reportedly expected to appear before a U.S. federal court on Monday to face multiple narco-terrorism charges.
U.S. courts indicted Maduro and other members of his authoritarian socialist regime in 2020. Maduro stands accused of being a leader, if not the leader of, the Cartel of the Suns, an international cocaine trafficking operation run by top members of the Venezuelan regime.
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