The FMLN and Venezuela
The FMLN has long had ties with the government of Venezuela. FMLN leaders regularly travel to Venezuela. Venezuela sends subsidized petroleum products to FMLN controlled municipalities. FMLN has also regularly joined Venezuela in denouncing perceived US interference in Venezuela. You can get a sense of the relationship in this article from Diario CoLatino from 2015 "El Salvador and Venezuela, a historic friendship against imperialist interference" (in Spanish).
Venezuela today is in economic and political crisis. The oil rich country is having troubles feeding its people; political dissent is often repressed; crime rates rival El Salvador's.
The crisis in Venezuela has come to the Organization of American States. Last week the OAS called a meeting to discuss the situation in Venezuela. El Salvador joined Venezuela and other countries in opposing the meeting, which prompted a response from conservative Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. From the Miami Herald
The meeting at the OAS did not result in a vote by the assembled nations, but there will be continuing engagement by the multi-lateral organization of countries. At the same time as the meeting, however, there was another assault on Venezuela's democracy when the country's supreme court, dissolved the legislature where the opposition has a majority. That action by the Supreme Court was widely condemned around the world, and within a day president Maduro had the court reverse itself.
The currently expressed position of El Salvador is that the government of Venezuela and the opposition should continue a process of dialogue mediated by Panama, the Dominican Republic and the Vatican.
Venezuela today is in economic and political crisis. The oil rich country is having troubles feeding its people; political dissent is often repressed; crime rates rival El Salvador's.
The crisis in Venezuela has come to the Organization of American States. Last week the OAS called a meeting to discuss the situation in Venezuela. El Salvador joined Venezuela and other countries in opposing the meeting, which prompted a response from conservative Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. From the Miami Herald
Sen. Marco Rubio sent a strong warning to the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Haiti on Monday, saying that it would be difficult to protect them from possible cuts in U.S. aid if they fail to defend democracy when the Venezuelan government comes up for a possible sanctions vote at the Organization of American States (OAS).
The Florida Republican, one of the harshest critics of the Venezuelan government in Washington, told El Nuevo Herald that the OAS vote set for Tuesday is exceptionally important for the future of democracy in the region, and of the hemispheric organization itself.
The vote would even affect the assistance that Washington provides to El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, he added.
“This is not a threat, but it is the reality,” said RubioRubio and other conservative members of the US Congress have made similar threats to try to influence El Salvador's policies in the past. They are seldom effective, even though the conservative Salvadoran papers like La Prensa Grafica and El Diario de Hoy made the threats front page news. Despite Senator Rubio, El Salvador along with the Dominican Republic and Haiti cast their votes in favor of an unsuccessful attempt to cancel the meeting altogether.
The meeting at the OAS did not result in a vote by the assembled nations, but there will be continuing engagement by the multi-lateral organization of countries. At the same time as the meeting, however, there was another assault on Venezuela's democracy when the country's supreme court, dissolved the legislature where the opposition has a majority. That action by the Supreme Court was widely condemned around the world, and within a day president Maduro had the court reverse itself.
The currently expressed position of El Salvador is that the government of Venezuela and the opposition should continue a process of dialogue mediated by Panama, the Dominican Republic and the Vatican.
Comments