The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Maduro, on Wednesday demanded a letter of apology from Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley. In this letter Minister Maduro asked for a public apology for Foxley’s criticisms on a television show about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s presence at the extraordinary meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur).
The “unfortunate and unjust statements” made by Foxley on Chilean television were the “only sour note of a historic meeting,” said Maduro in the letter, which was published by AFP.
The Unasur meeting, which dealt with the conflict in Bolivia, resulted in unanimous support for President Evo Morales, and, according to the letter, was a sign of “South America bursting onto the world geopolitical scene as a true, united bloc committed to the defense of sovereignty, democracy and peace.”
On the television program, the Chilean Minister said his country feared that the extraordinary Unasur summit would fail due to Chávez’s demand that the behavior of the United States should be condemned in the final declaration. In addition, he “did not share” the opinions of the Venezuelan President, who, according to Foxley, “likes to be the protagonist.”
“Our government did not think it fair nor appropriate to demand an explanation for these remarks from our brother government of Chile,” added Maduro in his letter. “Nevertheless, taking into account the grave danger that his personal opinions might pose for the process of South American unity in such a critical moment, we are within our rights to demand, respectfully but firmly, that [Minister Foxley] reflects, apologizes and rectifies what has happened.”
Maduro noted that his Chilean counterpart, whose country currently holds the Presidency pro tempore of Unasur, should have “conducted himself in a more serious and respectful manner, and not compromised his government by sharing his personal opinions which distort the reality of what happened in the Presidential meeting.”
“It is incomprehensible to us that our President should be subject to such an open show of personal hostility and bitterness from such a friendly government, presided by a woman, Michelle Bachelet, who is admired and respected by the Venezuelan people,” concluded the Minister’s letter.
Bolivarian News Agency, Press Department of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela / September 18, 2008
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