Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressing the G20. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/PR.
On Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed concern over the US military deployment in the Caribbean. He announced that he would speak with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to prevent further US attacks following Venezuela’s accusations that the deployment poses a threat to its sovereignty. After the closing of the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Lula said he was “very worried” because “South America is considered a zone of peace,” Telesur reported.
“We are a continent that has no nuclear weapons, no atomic bombs,” said President da Silva at a press conference. “We have nothing. Our goal here is to work to develop and grow. I am very concerned about the military apparatus that the United States has deployed in the Caribbean Sea. I am very worried. I intend to speak with President Trump about this, because it concerns me.”
Furthermore, he said Brazil “has a responsibility to South America” and reminded everyone that his country shares a border with Venezuela, which “is no small matter.” Lula emphasized that “there is no point in having a war now.”
The Brazilian president warned that “one gunshot is all it takes, and who knows how it will end,” which is why it is important to find a solution “before it starts.”
“I am very worried, and I would not want any military [conflict] to happen in South America,” he reiterated.
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Since last August, Washington has maintained a military deployment in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking. In its attacks on small boats, which it has accused of having links to drug trafficking without presenting any evidence, it has killed over 80 people.
The US military presence includes ships, fighter jets, and special forces, framed within its Operation Southern Spear and the supposed fight against drug trafficking. However, governments such as those of Russia, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, have condemned the actions carried out by the US regime.
For its part, the Venezuelan government has repeatedly repudiated the threat posed by this deployment by Washington, both to the country and the region, noting that the US objectives are regime change and exploitation of Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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