Reply #1: Great news. Even Alan Garcia temporarily seems to have his head/heart in the right place

[Judi Lynn]

on this issue.

From the article:

At the suggestion of Peruvian President Alan Garcia, the final statement stressed Unasur would back efforts to keep all humanitarian assistance in Haiti "under the leadership" of the Haitian government.

Without addressing or criticizing, as had been expected, the US military's leadership role in relief efforts, the summit stressed that international players in Haiti should conduct themselves with "absolute respect for (Haitian) national sovereignty and the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs."

Correa questioned why the relief effort in Haiti was often led by non-governmental groups, while Argentina's foreign minister said all aid should be coordinated with the United Nations.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro pointed to the "hegemonic and abusive way the US army is dealing with Haiti."

Preval tried to defuse the issue, telling the summit there were "many countries helping Haiti in different ways and participating, above all, with some military presence."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a leading critic of the US aid operation in Haiti, was due to address the summit but canceled at the last minute without immediate explanation.

Correa, the current Unasur chair, said the aim of the summit was to shore up Haiti's institutions so it would not be so reliant on outside powers.

"Without government and institutions, the country cannot move ahead - unless it is a colony, which we will not permit," he said.

Beautiful! So glad they are on the record with their statements, all of them accurate.

Glad to hear Uribe is starting to grasp his level of support outside his feudal kingdom.

What a shame the earthquake has striken even more people at this late date.