OAS: Rice/Maduro duel

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OAS: Rice/Maduro duel

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OAS: Rice/Maduro duel

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• On June 4, American State Secretary Condoleezza Rice attended the XXXVII General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) at <?xml:namespace prefix = u1 /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Panama. During her intervention, State Secretary Rice brought up the issue of RCTV cancellation. She not only deemed it as an undemocratic measure taken by President Chavez but also proposed an OAS commission be sent to Venezuela to investigate and report.  Right after, Venezuelan Foreign Minster Nicolas Maduro met her comments with condemnation. He said Rice’s remarks were proof of an “unacceptable US intervention on Venezuelan domestic affairs”. He also accused the US of hypocrisy comparing its imprisonment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the activities of Nazi Germany.  Venezuelan Foreign Minister Maduro suggested OAS investigate daily Human Rights violations made by US against citizens of Latin American and the Caribbean. He went on to relate numerous historical events that showed US intervention in Latin America. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />


• After Maduro made his first intervention, Rice left the meeting before taking notice of any reaction or support for her suggestions on Venezuela. Maduro then added that Rice had disturbed the OAS meeting agenda with her comments on RCTV. It had been agreed delegates would discuss sustainable development issues only.  Rice proposal on RCTV was not voted at the meeting. No country has filed a grievance against Venezuela over the RCTV case.  The Venezuelan government has hailed this confrontation as a defeat for the opposition at home.


• On May 25, 2007, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed “concern with respect to the progressive deterioration of the exercise of freedom of expression in Venezuela...It reported on direct or indirect measures taken by state agents or persons linked to the present government aimed at limiting or discouraging criticism of the administration. Such limitations on freedom of expression particularly affect human rights defenders, sectors of the political opposition, reporters, as well as Venezuelan society in general”. These remarks referred to incidents that took placed in 2002 after the attempted coup against President Hugo Chavez. It did not deal with current debate over the cancellation of RCVT broadcasting license. Furthermore, no draft resolution on the RCTV case is debated at the XXXVII General Assembly.


• Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Jorge Valero, assumed the Chairmanship of the Permanent Council.  Valero called for greater priority to Climate Change issue on Hemispheric Agenda.


• Earlier, Panama media had made a short blackout to protest for the RCTV cancellation.


• In Caracas, there was another student demonstration. This time, students peacefully marched to submit a request to the High Supreme Court. 


• Spanish Vice President María Teresa Fernández de la Vega said her government had asked Caracas to reconsider its decision on the RCTV Cancellation. She said cancellation was not reasonable of justifiable. Spain currently contributes with 1 billion euros in official aid to the Americas.

PS: Acoording to Voice of America, OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza dismissed a U.S. call for him to travel to Venezuela to investigate media freedom. In a closing news conference at the Panama City, Insulza added that the OAS charter requires any official mission receive the consent of the country being visited.   On June 5th, US President George W. Bush said Venezuela was dismantling democracy. Venezuela Foreign Minister  Nicolas Maduro replied that "this offender (Bush) cannot claim the moral high ground to talk about Venezuela. The name of Venezuela is too big for him. The Bolivarian Republic is too big for Bush to continue naming us." He concluded that Bush government was behind recent opposition protests in Venezuela.

Sources: VTV  BBC Telesur Globovision Union Radio Aljazeera El País VIVE OAS VOA