U.S. facing setback in its neighborhood

[Dover]

U.S. facing setback in its neighborhood

By Joel Brinkley The New York Times

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2005


FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida The major nations of Latin America have told the United States that they cannot support an American plan to establish a permanent committee of the Organization of American States that would monitor the exercise of democracy in the hemisphere, Latin American diplomats said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived here Sunday afternoon to serve as chairwoman of an OAS meeting in which the U.S. plan is on the agenda, expressed frustration with their view. "We have to have a discussion of how the organization can be effective if it does not have a mechanism that can help at times of crisis," Rice said.

If the organization fails to approve the U.S. proposal, it will be a significant diplomatic defeat for the United States in a region that for decades has generally gone along with Washington's requests.

The United States was negotiating with the other countries, but diplomats and officials said they had made little progress Sunday...cont'd

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/06/news/oas.php

And it seems the EU is having problems coming together as well.

[damntexdem]

1. The "backyard" belongs to someone else.

It has taken the Bushistas to shake all of Latin America so far loose from Washington's control.

[meganmonkey]

2. Good

It is a shame we can't have some sort of good relationship developing here, but given the administration, I don't think it's possible.

Good for Latin America for standing up to our bullying. As if we're one to talk about what a good democracy is!

[UpInArms]

3. What "crisis" are you creating KindaSleazy?

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived here Sunday afternoon to serve as chairwoman of an OAS meeting in which the U.S. plan is on the agenda, expressed frustration with their view. "We have to have a discussion of how the organization can be effective if it does not have a mechanism that can help at times of crisis," Rice said.

[Spazito]

4. Given that it is Condi and the bush cabal manufacturing the

'crisis', it stands to reason they want the OAS to legitimize it. It seems the old tried and true tricks aren't working anymore which is causing Condi 'frustration'. AWWWWWW

[jaysunb]

5. I think Condi's "frustration" may be

a little more, " deep seated " shall we say....:evilgrin:

[Spazito]

8. LOL!

*

[Media_Lies_Daily]

12. Misses those "flights" on Air Force One, eh?

[jaysunb]

14. Whenever I need a good laugh

I close my eyes and try to invision those, " flights"........

[Dover]

That would be the planned 'crisis' in Venezuela.

One ambassador, who declined to be identified by name because he did not want to offend the United States, noted that the organization's charter emphasizes "nonintervention, self-determination and respect for individual personalities" in member states.

..snip..

Several ambassadors of Latin American nations said last month that they would be unlikely to support the measure, because they saw it as a thinly veiled attack on Venezuela, which has been at odds with the United States for several years.

In Caracas on Sunday, President Hugo Chávez clearly had the same view. On Venezuelan television, he said: "So they're going to monitor the Venezuelan government through the OAS? They must be joking. The times in which the OAS was an instrument of the government in Washington are gone."

[Dover]

6. .

[jaxx]

7. Chevez gave Condi an earful

<snip> Chavez, a foe of the Bush administration whose chief ally is Cuban President Fidel Castro, said in his weekly radio program to his countrymen that he sees Rice's effort as an intrusion on the sovereignty of hemispheric nations.

"The times in which the OAS was an instrument of the government in Washington are gone," Chavez said.

"Are they going to try, through the OAS, to monitor the Venezuelan government? ... Those who think they can put the peoples of Latin America in a corral are mistaken."

Brazil's response to Rice's appeal was more cautious. "We'd like to strengthen democracy in the region but we'd also like to avoid intruding mechanisms," Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said in a statement.
http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-latin-america,0,954769.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[cliss]

13. Just goes to show you, blood

is thicker than water. Central and South American countries have a lot more in common with each other, than with the oppressive U.S.

I'm rubbing my crystal ball, and I'm seeing a new future for C & S America. They will join forces and become more able to repel the thugs in Washington.

[Richard Steele]

9. What could they object to? (sarcasm)

QUOTE:
"an American plan to establish a permanent committee... that would monitor the exercise of democracy in the hemisphere."

Anyone who cares about DEMOCRACY wouldn't want the B*sh Cabal within a hundred miles of its political or diplomatic processes.

The OAS obviously DOES care;
Therefore, they are politely telling Amerika®(a division of ShrubCoInc)
to go piss up its own rope, and leave theirs alone.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. Where's Mister Rodgers when you need him?

[confludemocrat]

11. The EU has no problem coming together, but by what rules

What did Condiliesa think would happen when this incredible and slimily hypocritical proposal was considered?

[UpInArms]

15. related: WP: Bush Calls for Democracy in Western World

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/06/AR2005060601150.html

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- President Bush urged the nations of the Western Hemisphere on Monday to work together to prevent governments in the region from backsliding to authoritarian rule.

Venezuela's foreign minister said the U.S. seemed to be aiming at his country.

Bush, in a brief speech to the Organization of American States, said that Cuba was the only country in the hemisphere that was not democratic. He pushed for expanded trade and said the nations of the Americas needed to choose between two visions for their future: one of hope or one of rolling back "the democratic progress of the past two decades."

The president didn't mention President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who has acted in ways the Bush administration has described as undemocratic.

However, the United States has submitted a draft proposal calling on the OAS secretary general to issue a report outlining a "plan of action" for strengthening the democratic charter so the organization can deal more effectively with countries struggling with threats to democratic rule. Other countries have submitted alternate proposals, and the delegates hope to agree on a compromise in time for the conclusion of the conference on Tuesday.

...more...

The idiotson stirs the pot :puke:

[hootinholler]

16. I think it's a great idea

As long as it has an independent court with teeth. Each member gets one vote.

Then we have a forum to try this administration.

-Hoot