The American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, affirmed yesterday that the United States will continue to defend the strengthening of democracy in Latin America, especially in countries like Ecuador and Venezuela.
According to Rice, the US wants “a democratic Venezuela to exist.” She stated that all the actions taken in support of the country led by Hugo Chávez should be construed “in the context of the positive agenda for the continent.”
The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, said that Brazil will always continue to respect the sovereignty of the Venezuelan government, and he reiterated the Brazilian government’s support for that country, by means of the Group of Friends of Venezuela.
“We know that, as in any other society, there are problems. We will do whatever we can to help the country move in a positive direction. We are friends of the people of Venezuela,” Amorim emphasized.
In Rice’s view, the challenges to maintain democracy have become “fragile” in some South American countries, and the US wants to help them restore democratic principles.
“During the crisis in Ecuador, the support of the Organization of American States (OAS) was a gesture to try to tread the path of a stable democracy.”
Rice urges all Latin American countries to respect what she referred to as the “continental charter of democracy.”
She said that the US will attempt to see that democratic rules are obeyed in Latin America.
“If we adopt a positive agenda on the continent, we shall create an atmosphere for solid democracies, not fragile ones.”
The Secretary of State said that she believes embracing economic policies conducive to growth is the ideal instrument for promoting democracy in Latin America.
Agência Brasil