During the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Brazilian government classified the capture of the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, by the United States as a “kidnapping”. The meeting was held this Tuesday (6) in Washington.
“The bombings on the territory of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president exceed an unacceptable limit”, stated Brazil’s permanent representative to the OAS, Ambassador Benoni Belli.
Until now, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and other representatives of Brazilian diplomacy had referred to the action of American special forces — which, last Saturday (3), resulted in the detention of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores — as “capture”.
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The use of the word “kidnapping” was also used by the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and by different Venezuelan authorities.
In his speech, in which he did not expressly mention the USA, Belli reiterated that the attacks on Venezuela represent “a very serious affront to the sovereignty” of that country and “threaten the international community with an extremely dangerous precedent”.
“Military aggression leads to a world in which the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism. We cannot accept the argument that the ends justify the means”, he stated.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the United Nations Charter was “clearly violated” and reaffirmed Latin America and the Caribbean as a “zone of peace”.
“The action that has just occurred evokes the worst moments of interference in politics in Latin America and the Caribbean,” he declared. In this context, the diplomat stated that Brazil “is determined to act” in favor of “preservation of the regional heritage of peace”.
“Brazil is convinced that only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans and free from external interference, can lead to a solution that respects the will of the Venezuelan people and human dignity in the country”, he concluded.
Last Saturday (3), the Brazilian government recognized vice-president Delcy Rodríguez as interim president of Venezuela just hours after Maduro’s arrest in Caracas and his transfer to New York to face justice for “narco-terrorism”.
Lula and Delcy also spoke briefly by phone to address the situation in Venezuela after the US bombings.
