[News] ALBA Leaders Praise Chavez Legacy, Slam US Attacks on Venezuela - Puerto Rico’s revolutionary Oscar López Rivera attends

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/ALBA-Countries-Meet-In-Support-Of-Venezuela-Sovereignty-20180305-0013.html 



  ALBA Leaders Praise Chavez Legacy, Slam US Attacks on Venezuela

5 March 2018
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The summit of presidents of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of 
Our America, or ALBA, kicked off in Caracas Monday moments 
after Venezuelan President Maduro addressed Venezuelans alongside 
leaders of Latin American and Caribbean member states who are attending 
the meeting.

Leaders arrived in the capital Caracas Monday morning and criticized the 
United States-led attacks against Venezuela's sovereignty and honored 
late President Hugo Chavez on the 5th anniversary of his death. Puerto 
Rico’s revolutionary Oscar López Rivera also attended the ALBA summit as 
he completes his tour in Venezuela.

"Five years ago I had to give the hardest news of my life. Five years 
later we remember Chavez, no longer with tears, but with a smile and 
commitment to the future of the Fatherland," Maduro said marking the 5th 
anniversary of the death of late President Chavez before kicking off the 
ALBA summit. "Today with more security and strength than ever we say 
that the Venezuelan people are more Chavista than ever. Chávez lives!"

"On Sunday, May 20th we will have elections. We are deciding between 
peace and violence; democracy or coups; between the independence or 
the submission of the Fatherland," the president added referring to the 
upcoming presidential election in hwich he is a candidate.

    *RELATED:
    Venezuela: Oscar Lopez Rivera Pays Homage to Late Hugo Chavez
    <https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-Oscar-Lopez-Rivera-Pays-Homage-to-Late-Hugo-Chavez-20180303-0014.html>*

During his opening address to ALBA, Maduro gave a warm welcome to Puerto 
Rican independence hero Oscar Lopez Rivera at the ALBA summit. He went 
on to call for more ALBA meetings in order to address "vital issues for 
the Latin American and Caribbean region."

"ALBA has the need to meet in a periodic way, work meetings that allow 
us to advance in the political, economic challenges of our people," he 
added at the group's 15th meeting taking place at Miraflores 
Presidential Palace.

The Venezuelan leader further denounced attacks against his country by 
regional right/wing governments. "We have been discussing the theme of 
the Summit of the Americas. We discussed the illegal attempt of the 
Government of Peru to discriminate against Venezuela and prohibit the 
participation of our country." Maduro stressed that "Venezuela will not 
be shut up by anyone."

He then went on to discuss his country’s innovative cyber currency Petro 
and called for including it in ALBA’s economic agenda.

Raúl Castro then addressed the leaders at the opening session of ALBA 
saying that threats against Venezuela also threaten peace throughout the 
region.

"We proclaim the unwavering support for the Bolivarian Revolution and 
the civic-military union of its people commanded by comrade Nicolas 
Maduro," Raúl told his counterparts at the summit. "The United States 
since 1999 when Comandante Chavez has become president, they have 
resorted to methods of unconventional warfare in order to subdue this 
country, which owns enormous natural wealth."

He added that only the people of Venezuela can solve any problems faced 
by their nation and further denounced Peru for attempting to prevent 
Maduro from attending the Summit of the Americas.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega echoed a similar sentiment as he 
hailed the legacy of Chavez recognizing that ALBA and other 
regional independent organizations would have never been possible 
without the late leader’s efforts. "The U.S. tries again to provoke the 
disintegration of what we have managed to build...This is a 
disrespectful attitude to the people of Venezuela and Latin America."

“We see clearly the attempt to delegitimize the revolutionary process of 
Venezuela that has been advancing in spite of challenges and 
difficulties. In the face of violence, the people have always called for 
peace,” Ortega stressed.

*"The arrival of heads of states of Nicaragua, Dominica, Bolivia and 
Cuba to Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas."*

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit also recognized the legacy 
of Chavez before slamming intervention attempts into the internal 
affairs of Venezuela. “Peru's attitude is a flagrant violation of 
international law. They are denying the people of Venezuela their right 
to participate. We condemn this decision.”

Bolivian President Evo Morales then took the stage calling on leaders to 
“strengthen our unity as countries that seek equality for humanity.” He 
then slammed the complicity of some regional governments in the attacks 
on Venezuela. “I cannot believe that some Latin American presidents are 
instruments of the American Empire.”

President Maduro later honored Puerto Rico’s revolutionary Oscar López 
Rivera by giving him a replica of Simon Bolivar’s Sword.

Meanwhile Ecuadorean Minister of Defense Patricio Zambrano said the the 
Summit of the Americas should be a space for meeting and dialogue 
between countries, "and not an organism of exclusion." Zambrano's 
comments were echoed by the head of the delegation of Saint Vincent and 
the Grenadines who slammed what Peru is doing as “an attack on the Latin 
American unity that we can not allow.”

The Saint Vincent delegate further called on President maduro to 
“continue with the legacy of Chavez, you have suffered unthinkable 
pressures, you have joined the people of Venezuela.”

The meeting will also feature events in memory of Bolivarian Revolution 
leader and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who passed away on 
March 5, 2013.

Meanwhile, an event tilted World Day in Solidarity with Venezuela will 
also take place Monday in the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas, where 
more than 800 people from social movements and organizations will 
debate communication, social rights issues and national sovereignty.

-- 
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