Venezuela's foreign minister also accused John Kerry of "international bullying" on Tuesday. (Photo: Reuters)
"We Are Not Anyone's Colony": Bolivia's Morales Tells US to Stay Out of Latin American Affairs
'John Kerry continues to believe that Latin America is its backyard—and its people their peons'
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday expressed support for a right-wing referendum to pull Venezuela's leftist president Nicolas Maduro from power, provoking a powerful response from Maduro's fellow socialist Evo Morales, president of Bolivia.
"We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation."
--Evo Morales"John Kerry continues to believe that Latin America is its backyard--and its people their peons--by asking for the recall of Nicolas Maduro," wrote Morales on his Twitter account, in TeleSUR's translation.
"Kerry should know we are not anyone's colony. We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation," Morales wrote.
Venezuela's right-wing opposition has been pushing for a recall election to oust Maduro as the country struggles with food shortages and rolling blackouts in the wake of the plunge in oil prices.
And mere hours after expressing support for a referendum to oust Maduro from power, Kerry also announced "high-level talks to ease tensions" with Maduro's government, Reuters reported.
Kerry's comments were met with fury from Venezuelan foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, "who accused Washington and OAS chief Luis Almagro of 'international bullying,'" wrote Reuters.
The Organization of American States (OAS), led by secretary general and former Uruguay minister of foreign affairs Luis Almagro, has also been pushing to suspend Venezuela under Maduro's leadership from its membership, condemning Maduro's actions during the nation's crisis. Critics have accused the OAS and Almagro of hypocrisy, as the organization has ignored the recent ouster of Brazil's leftist president Dilma Rousseff.
"Every day we have evidence of the secretary general's bias in favor of sectors of the opposition who are seeking a coup in Venezuela," Rodriguez told the news service. "I see now this is ordered by Washington. I know they are on Washington's payroll to meddle in the domestic affairs of Venezuela."
Kerry said the U.S. did not support OAS suspending Venezuela's membership, after a meeting with Rodriguez on Tuesday, but he still "called on Venezuela to hold the recall vote in a 'timely' manner, suggesting the U.S. government would want to see it held in 2016," TeleSUR wrote.
A recall vote in 2016 would force snap elections and oust Maduro from power, while a recall in 2017 would allow Maduro's executive vice president to serve out the remainder of his term.
Morales said that he would withdraw Bolivia from the OAS if the body "continued to be used as an instrument by the empire," according to TeleSUR.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday expressed support for a right-wing referendum to pull Venezuela's leftist president Nicolas Maduro from power, provoking a powerful response from Maduro's fellow socialist Evo Morales, president of Bolivia.
"We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation."
--Evo Morales"John Kerry continues to believe that Latin America is its backyard--and its people their peons--by asking for the recall of Nicolas Maduro," wrote Morales on his Twitter account, in TeleSUR's translation.
"Kerry should know we are not anyone's colony. We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation," Morales wrote.
Venezuela's right-wing opposition has been pushing for a recall election to oust Maduro as the country struggles with food shortages and rolling blackouts in the wake of the plunge in oil prices.
And mere hours after expressing support for a referendum to oust Maduro from power, Kerry also announced "high-level talks to ease tensions" with Maduro's government, Reuters reported.
Kerry's comments were met with fury from Venezuelan foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, "who accused Washington and OAS chief Luis Almagro of 'international bullying,'" wrote Reuters.
The Organization of American States (OAS), led by secretary general and former Uruguay minister of foreign affairs Luis Almagro, has also been pushing to suspend Venezuela under Maduro's leadership from its membership, condemning Maduro's actions during the nation's crisis. Critics have accused the OAS and Almagro of hypocrisy, as the organization has ignored the recent ouster of Brazil's leftist president Dilma Rousseff.
"Every day we have evidence of the secretary general's bias in favor of sectors of the opposition who are seeking a coup in Venezuela," Rodriguez told the news service. "I see now this is ordered by Washington. I know they are on Washington's payroll to meddle in the domestic affairs of Venezuela."
Kerry said the U.S. did not support OAS suspending Venezuela's membership, after a meeting with Rodriguez on Tuesday, but he still "called on Venezuela to hold the recall vote in a 'timely' manner, suggesting the U.S. government would want to see it held in 2016," TeleSUR wrote.
A recall vote in 2016 would force snap elections and oust Maduro from power, while a recall in 2017 would allow Maduro's executive vice president to serve out the remainder of his term.
Morales said that he would withdraw Bolivia from the OAS if the body "continued to be used as an instrument by the empire," according to TeleSUR.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday expressed support for a right-wing referendum to pull Venezuela's leftist president Nicolas Maduro from power, provoking a powerful response from Maduro's fellow socialist Evo Morales, president of Bolivia.
"We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation."
--Evo Morales"John Kerry continues to believe that Latin America is its backyard--and its people their peons--by asking for the recall of Nicolas Maduro," wrote Morales on his Twitter account, in TeleSUR's translation.
"Kerry should know we are not anyone's colony. We are sovereign states of the Great Motherland that fights for life and liberation," Morales wrote.
Venezuela's right-wing opposition has been pushing for a recall election to oust Maduro as the country struggles with food shortages and rolling blackouts in the wake of the plunge in oil prices.
And mere hours after expressing support for a referendum to oust Maduro from power, Kerry also announced "high-level talks to ease tensions" with Maduro's government, Reuters reported.
Kerry's comments were met with fury from Venezuelan foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, "who accused Washington and OAS chief Luis Almagro of 'international bullying,'" wrote Reuters.
The Organization of American States (OAS), led by secretary general and former Uruguay minister of foreign affairs Luis Almagro, has also been pushing to suspend Venezuela under Maduro's leadership from its membership, condemning Maduro's actions during the nation's crisis. Critics have accused the OAS and Almagro of hypocrisy, as the organization has ignored the recent ouster of Brazil's leftist president Dilma Rousseff.
"Every day we have evidence of the secretary general's bias in favor of sectors of the opposition who are seeking a coup in Venezuela," Rodriguez told the news service. "I see now this is ordered by Washington. I know they are on Washington's payroll to meddle in the domestic affairs of Venezuela."
Kerry said the U.S. did not support OAS suspending Venezuela's membership, after a meeting with Rodriguez on Tuesday, but he still "called on Venezuela to hold the recall vote in a 'timely' manner, suggesting the U.S. government would want to see it held in 2016," TeleSUR wrote.
A recall vote in 2016 would force snap elections and oust Maduro from power, while a recall in 2017 would allow Maduro's executive vice president to serve out the remainder of his term.
Morales said that he would withdraw Bolivia from the OAS if the body "continued to be used as an instrument by the empire," according to TeleSUR.