Defence ministers from Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states met yesterday for the release of a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Maduro, called on countries in the region to create institutions to defend human rights within organizations like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
By Eva Golinger - Correo del Orinoco International, Dec 13th 2011
While much of the world is in crisis and protests are erupting throughout Europe and the United States, Latin American and Caribbean nations are building consensus, advancing social justice and increasing positive cooperation in the region.
In a tireless round of regional diplomatic summits last week, Venezuela led a surge of political momentum in favor of the integration of Latin America into a “zone of peace” that solves its problems without foreign or domestic military action, as part of the construction of a multi-polar world that is independent of major superpowers.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez exhorted all South American countries to consolidate the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to protect the region from situations like that of Libya, whose government was overthrown by NATO’s actions that killed its leader Muammar Gaddafi last week.
The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) transcended the continental sphere to become a global institution by gaining a seat at the United Nations as an observer, a status which allows it to join UN work.
The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) is further consolidating its organization and mandate through the creation of new entities focused on regional autonomy in defense and economics.
This past Friday, economic ministers from the Union of South American Nations’ (UNASUR) member states met in the Peruvian capital to discuss the current unstable economic climate in the U.S. and Europe.
Colombia’s former Deputy Foreign Secretary Emma Mejía will be occupying the post for the next twelve months beginning April, while Venezuela’s Ali Rodriguez will hold the post on the following twelve months.
