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Ecuadorian president wants CELAC to replace OAS

Xinhua, January 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa insisted Wednesday during the IV Summit of Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Quito that the bloc needs to take over the role currently occupied by the Organization of American States (OAS).

"Ecuador is not afraid to dream and to table proposals, even if it is wrong. We believe that, in the short-term CELAC needs to replace the OAS that has never worked properly," stated Correa.

He added that former Cuban leader Fidel Castro had called the OAS "the ministry of the colonies."

According to Correa, the Latin American and Caribbean region needs an organism capable of defending the sovereign interests of its members, which the OAS failed to do when it kicked out Cuba in 1962.

Correa asked the audience of heads of state "why we need to discuss our problems in Washington, and why we must sustain the irrational decision of having the OAS based in the country, which imposes a blockade on Cuba."

He concluded that the OAS should only remain to let the 33 nations of CELAC discuss issues as a bloc with the U.S. and Canada.

In a similar vein, Correa called for the creation of a Latin American human rights system to replace the current Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), also based in Washington.

In his view, the current IACHR is "totally dominated by hegemonic countries, which is lethal to democracy." Enditem