OAS meets to discuss Ecuador uprising, approve resolution

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

OAS meets to discuss Ecuador uprising, approve resolution
Thursday, September 30, 2010 | 22:34 ET

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) began an extraordinary session in which members approved a resolution project in order to "decidedly support the constitutional government" of Ecuador.

The OAS meeting began at 3:05 pm (local time) and gathered representatives of neighbouring countries belonging to the hemispheric organization, in a meeting convened due to the police and military riots in the Andean country.

The resolution states that the organism "1. Repudiates any intention of altering democratic institutionalism in Ecuador; 2. Decidedly supports the constitutional government of President Rafael Correa in his duty to preserve the institutional and democratic order, as well as the rule of law; and 3. Makes an energetic call to Ecuador's public force, along with the political and social sectors, to avoid any kind of violent act that could exacerbate a situation of political instability, attacking an instituted democratic order, social peace, and public security."

It continues by stating that the OAS "4. Requests the Ecuadorean government to continue informing on the development of events in the country with the aim of taking appropriate action in order to strengthen and preserve democratic institutionalism; and 5. Asks the Secretary General to provide all kinds of cooperation on behalf of the organization upon request by the Ecuadorean government, so as to preserve democratic institutionalism in said country."

Read more: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/46745

[Judi Lynn]

1. Coup Attempt in Ecuador Is a Result of Sec. Clinton's Cowardice in Honduras

Coup Attempt in Ecuador Is a Result of Sec. Clinton's Cowardice in Honduras
Posted by Al Giordano - September 30, 2010 at 5:49 pm
By Al Giordano

Oh, crap. Another year, another coup in Latin America. And while today's attempt by police forces in Ecuador went so far as to fire tear gas at elected president Rafael Correa, the military brass in the South American country have sided with the democratic order - its top general is on TV right now strongly backing the elected government - and this one isn't likely to go as well for the anti-democracy forces as last year's did in Honduras.

First, because the Ecuadorean people are far more advanced in social and community organization than their counterparts in Honduras were last year. Second, because the events last year in Honduras caused other center-left governments in the hemisphere to prepare for what everybody saw would be more coup attempts against them in more countries.

Additionally, we can expect in the coming hours that the police leaders responsible for todays events - you don't need to understand Spanish to get a pretty good idea of what went down this morning by watching the above video - will be rounded up and brought to justice, as would happen in any other country, including the United States. But, kind reader, do you know why this is even happening? Because the same unholy alliance of Latin American oligarchs who can't stomach the rising wave of democracy in their countries - from the ex-Cubans of Miami to the ex-Venezuelans and others who have joined them in recent years - along with international crime organizations seeking new refuges and members of extreme rightist groups in the United States and elsewhere, saw their scheme work in 2009 in Honduras and took note of how quickly, after US President Barack Obama denounced the Honduras coup, his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began playing both sides of it.

It was this newspaper, through reporter Bill Conroy's investigations, that broke the story last August that the State Department-controlled Millennium Challenge Corporation had poured extraordinary amounts of money into Honduras in the months leading up to the June 29, 2009 coup d'etat. And in story after story, we demonstrated with documented fact how Clinton's Millennium Challenge Corporation went so far as to violate the ban on US aid to the Honduran coup regime. Clinton's later endorsement of farcical presidential elections and her over-reaching attempts to pretend nothing had happened in Honduras are precisely the signals that were received by today's coup plotters in Ecuador when they made a run at toppling the democratic government there.

More:
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/4138/coup-attempt-ecuador-result-sec-clintons-cowardice-honduras

[Billy Burnett]

4. Calling Clinton's actions in Honduras "cowardice" is giving her something she doesn't deserve.

The benefit of doubt over her responses/actions re the Honduras coup.

I have no doubt. The record is replete with examples ... it has been American tradition, no matter who's in office here, to fuck with emerging democracies in the Latin Americas and Caribbean.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Just saw an article posted by EFerrari in the Latin America forum, which said death squad

commander, Guy Phillippe, who was instrumental in both Bush I's, and _{Bush II's} removal of Haiti's President Aristide, got his training at the Quito police department. Smooth, right?

Here's EFerrari's article:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x42372

It also mentions that she has used her envoy Arturo Valenzuela to inflict a heavy presence in Ecuador recently, and sent along with him "....Todd Stern, “Climate Change Envoy,” also known for his CIA ties." All this during the time Ecuador has been engaged in a lawsuit against Chevron Oil over its refusal to clean up dangerous pollution which has been poisoning water, people, livesca, tock, crops in their country.

What American actually expected a Democratic administration to out-Republican the Ugly Americans in loathesome policy in Latin America, a region, which, along with all of us, was hoping and anticipating a turn toward a clean, new sense of responsibility toward our neighbors in the Hemisphere.

[madrchsod]

2. i smell a whiff of chevron/texaco....

[Judi Lynn]

3. Yup! They're getting near the end of the road on the lawsuit by Ecuadoreans.

They've done filthy things, fought like madmen. Will stop at nothing.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Ecuadorian crisis: Chávez urges the US "to keep its imperialist hands" out of the region

CARACAS, Friday October 01, 2010
Ecuadorian crisis
Chávez urges the US "to keep its imperialist hands" out of the region
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said that the Unites States “provides million dollars to far-right wing movements to destabilize the governments of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA)”

http://english.eluniversal.com.nyud.net:8090/2010/10/01/g_afpalejandropagni.jpg

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez urged the US government to "keep its old imperialist hands" out of Latin America. "We must demand the US government to keep its old imperialist hands out of this continent," Chávez said in Buenos Aires, where he attended an extraordinary meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), which was urgently convened following a police revolt in Ecuador.

The Venezuelan president warned that the United States "provides millions of dollars to far-right wing movements; many of them are trying to destabilize the governments of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA)," DPA reported.

Chávez added that such destabilization plans are "particularly aimed at countries whose governments are legitimate and democratic. We have raised the banner of socialist revolution in democracy."

"The US Department of State says that presidents such as Chávez, Bolivia's (Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa, are totalitarian and authoritarian dictators, but it plots coup d'états," the Venezuelan President said before leaving Buenos Aires.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/10/01/en_pol_esp_chavez-urges-the-us_01A4547811.shtml
Venezuelan opposition newspaper

[Judi Lynn]

7. Chile's Pinera Backs Ecuador's Correa, Calls For Unasur Meeting

Oct 1, 2010 | 1:45PM
Chile's Pinera Backs Ecuador's Correa, Calls For Unasur Meeting

SANTIAGO -(Dow Jones)- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera fully backs the government of Ecuador's President Rafael Correa and called for a meeting of the Unasur regional economic and political bloc to discuss the recent events in the Andean nation.

Members of Ecuador's national police and air force on Thursday went on strike against the Correa administration over benefits reforms.

"We've contacted the presidents of the Unasur bloc...to call for a meeting so that the support of the democratic countries to the Ecuadorean democracy is strong and clear," Pinera said.

The Unasur bloc consists of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

More:
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201009301545dowjonesdjonline000704&title=chiles-pinera-backs-ecuadors-correacalls-for-unasur-meeting

[Judi Lynn]

8. Brazil Government Contacted Ecuador Authorities To Express Support

Oct 1, 2010 | 1:48PM
Brazil Government Contacted Ecuador Authorities To Express Support

BRASILIA -(Dow Jones)- Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim contacted Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño Thursday to express Brazil's solidarity with the government of Ecuador President Rafael Correa during an insurrection by members of Ecuadorean security forces, the Brazilian foreign relations ministry said.

Amorim interrupted a diplomatic visit in Haiti to make a call to Patino and offer Brazil's "total support and solidarity."

The ministry said Amorim has maintained Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva informed of the situation in Ecuador and that a "firm response" would be coordinated by the Mercosur customs union, the Unasur South American security organization, and the Organization of American States.

The government of President Correa Thursday declared a state of emergency for five days, mobilizing the armed forces after members of the national police and some military officials walked off the job and closed down the airport in the capital, Quito, in protest against an overhaul of public-sector worker benefits.

More:
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201009301852dowjonesdjonline000756&title=brazil-government-contacted-ecuador-authorities-to-express-support