Latin America excludes US

[Judi Lynn]

Latin America excludes US
Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:08

Latin American and Caribbean leaders agreed to create a new regional group without the United States and Canada, and called for fresh talks on the sovereignty of the Falklands Islands.

The moves came as initial hopes for improved US-Latin American ties under President Barack Obama have dimmed, and amid divisions over how to handle the aftermath of a military-led coup in Honduras.

The summit of 32 nations meeting expressed full support for Buenos Aires in the Falklands dispute, which has re-ignited in recent days after oil drilling began off the remote, British-controlled southern Atlantic archipelago.

It issued a statement saying it was in the region's interest that the two nations resume talks "in order to find a just, peaceful and definitive solution."

More:
http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/2250820.htm

[protocol rv]

1. I'm sure this new organization will do so well

It'll work like the OEA, or the Andean Pact, or ALBA, or Mercosur...i wouldn't expect much from them.

A Western Hemisphere economic block formed of the largest nations (no need to include the Caribbean pimples) can and should be formed to negotiate trade terms with the EU and USA. Other than that, there's no need to form anything else. But such a block can't work if it includes radicals such as Chavez, who has his own agenda. My conclusion? It's hopeless.

And I bet Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, the real heavy weights in Latin America, realize this is the way it'll be. They are better off joining together, pulling in Chile, Peru, and Argentina, (after the Fernandez-Kirchner dinasty falls), and possibly selected small nations, and then, with a single unified block, negotiate with the EU and the US a decent trade pact.

[Bacchus39]

2. yep, too big to be effective just look at the OAS and UN

but there is this quixotic notion by the US haters/Chavistas that the hemisphere is uniting under a common cause against the US and will speak as one to counter US influence.

the new organization already shelved the Honduras issue.

but again, nothing wrong with the concept of the organization

[Enrique]

3. interesting tidbit on this...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/02/201022323322860428.html

(...)

Meanwhile, regional tensions were also highlighted at the summit as Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, accused his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe of being a US agent looking to stall the creation of the new regional bloc.

(...)

[Judi Lynn]

4. Uribe does provoke hostility knowing he is fully back by U.S. firepower now. It's a shame.

Uribe tried to sabotage Mexico summit: Bolivia
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 06:18 Kirsten Begg

Bolivian President Evo Morales ripped into his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe Tuesday, calling the Andean leader "an agent of the empire", who only attended the Rio Group Summit in Mexico in order to sabotage it.

Morales accused Uribe of only attending the two day summit in Cancun "for the photos and the lunch".

The Bolivian leader's accusations follow a shouting match between Uribe and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a head of states' lunch on Monday.

Morales told press that Uribe "provoked" Chavez with a "surprise intervention" during the Monday lunch and added that Chavez had "listened patiently" to the Colombian leader's complaints.

"This event almost got stuck in the mud and I'm not scared to tell the truth. U.S. agents came to try to hold up and make fail this event," Morales said.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8379-uribe-tried-to-sabotage-mexico-summit-bolivia.html