Undersecretary of State of the United States, Christopher Landau, questioned on Thursday (26) the reason for being from the organization of American states (OAS), suggesting that his existence loses meaning if it is “unable” to effectively approach crises in Venezuela and Haiti.
“If we are unable to respond or remedy a situation in which a regime openly ignores international norms and threatens the territorial integrity of its neighbor [a Guiana, com quem Caracas disputa a região do Essequibo]Then we must ask ourselves: What meaning does this organization have? ”Said Landau, during his speech at the OAS General Assembly, held in Antigua and Barbuda.
Landau reported that the State Department is reviewing, by order of US President Donald Trump, the permanence of the United States in international organizations, including the OAS.
“To be frank, I am not clear if I can predict how this review will end,” warned Landau.
The number 2 of American diplomacy, which represents in the Assembly the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, cited as an example the response of the OAS to the crisis in Venezuela, where dictator Nicolás Maduro took a new term despite the allegations of opposition fraud and much of the international community.
“In response to this blatant electoral fraud, what did this organization do? As far as we know, nothing substantial,” criticized Landau.
The Undersecretary pointed out that the Venezuelan opposition, whose candidate was Edmundo González Urrutia, “not only overwhelmed, but had the evidence to demonstrate it.”
He recalled that almost every country in the region had to host hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees and stressed that “last month, the Venezuelan regime performed another scam of legislative and regional elections that need transparency and impartiality.”
Landau also put the crisis in Haiti, a country that, according to him, “sinks into chaos”, and asked again, “What did this organization do?”
The Undersecretary recalled that last year a security mission was sent to the country led by Kenya with the UN endorsement, but stressed that “the United States cannot continue to endure this heavy financial burden alone.”
“If the OAS is not willing or cannot play a construction role in Haiti, we are seriously wondered why it exists,” he asked.
In addition, Landau asked the Member States to ratify the United States candidate tomorrow to a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Cuban dissident Rosa María Payá.
“It’s time for the OAS to show results, to support the people of Venezuela and Haiti not just with words,” he concluded.
