Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro called on Latin American countries to "proclaim the unconditional defense of our America as a peace zone" as the U.S. continues its military campaign in the region.
Maduro made the claim in a letter to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which hosted a summit along with the European Union in Colombia during the weekend.
#COMUNICADO | Mensaje enviado por el presidente Nicolás Maduro Moros a los Presidentes y jefes de Estado de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC).
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"The union of America is not a rhetorical gesture, but the condition of our liberty and key to our dignity," Maduro said during a passage of the lengthy letter.
Maduro added that two centuries after independence wars from Spain, "the forms of siege have change but not their essence." "Naval and aerial formations are being deployed in the Caribbean, including cutting-edge aircraft carriers, destroyers and nuclear submarines," Maduro added, noting that the operations "have led to the death of civilians in the high-seas and have been defined by the UN's High Commissioner as extra-judicial killings."
"There is no middle ground here. The principle is clear and decisive. Sovereignty of the states and self-determination of the peoples. Venezuela declares it clearly. It doesn't accept nor it will accept any form of tutelage. We don't accept, under any euphemisms like security or fighting against drug-trafficking, the imposition of the old Monroe doctrine, which seeks to turn our America into a stage for invasions and regime changes to steal our immense riches and natural resources," Maduro added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has echoed the rhetoric, recently warning the Trump administration to not "wake up the jaguar."
Petro made the claim during a public speech, saying "I would tell (Donald) Trump and (Marco) Rubio to beware." "You are going through the Liberators' Caribbean, you are messing with the land of Bolivar. Have you not read its history? You are coming into lands where farmers armed with spheres defeated the most powerful armies in the world. The Spaniards of the king and the Frenchmen of the Republic. And they failed," he added.
"Beware. There are people in the Caribbean that have always been used to hurricanes and can unleash themselves like one. Like the legend goes, 'if the golden eagle attacks the condor, the American people's jaguar awakens.' Don't awaken the jaguar. We can still talk. South America can save the U.S. by cleaning up its energetic grid," Petro added.
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