Experts: Oil guarantees support to Venezuelan government at the OAS

Venezuelan retired Ambassador Emilio Figueredo said he is not surprised by the fact that the Organization of American States (OAS) permanently voices solidarity with the Venezuelan Government or that the regional body has refrained from taking steps regarding the absence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. 

"The OAS is profoundly dominated by Chávez's allies, led by Brazil and Argentina in South America, and the members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America as well as those of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)," Figueredo remarked. 

In his view, "There is no future for the OAS, particularly as long as it is led by Secretary-General (José Miguel) Insulza, who represents one of these movements (left-wing)."

For her part, María Teresa Belandria, an expert in international law, stressed that the stance adopted last week by most of the members of the OAS shows the strong influence the Venezuelan oil has on them. "Nobody is willing to fight with a country that supplies low-cost oil to you that helps you prop up governance at home," Belandria stated."

According to Belandria, "the OAS has become a presidential club and it is no longer an organization seeking the defense of democracy and the rule of law of the countries in the region." She added that the OAS takes actions "only when presidents are threatened" rather than advocating democracy.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera