Presidents Xiomara Castro (Honduras) and Gustavo Petro (Colombia) at a CELAC meeting. Randy Brooks/AFP.
The pro tempore president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, announced that the CELAC meeting proposed to discuss migration issues, which was scheduled for this Thursday, January 30th, has been cancelled.
Through a statement, Castro declared the meeting of the regional bloc cancelled due to a lack of consensus, since it received “systematic opposition from member countries that privileged other principles and interests different from those of the unity of the Latin American and Caribbean region.”
“Honduras, in exercise of the pro tempore presidency of CELAC, cancels the Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State and Government convened for January 30th,” the statement said.
President Castro stated that from the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC, they will continue to seek consensus, convene, and present initiatives to provide responses to the historic problems that the region suffers.
In turn, she reaffirmed CELAC’s commitment and willingness to follow up on the agenda of integration and unity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Migrants and their rights, both in transit to the receiving country, and within the laws of the United States, as well as the effects, and social, and economic impact on the entire region that the announced mass deportations will cause, constitute a common concern that must be addressed with objectivity and responsibility,” the text added.
Trump Sanctions Colombia for Rejecting Dehumanizing Deportation Flights (+Urgent CELAC Summit)
The president of Honduras called for the emergency meeting of CELAC in the midst of the impasse between the governments of Colombia and the United States, after US President Donald Trump began his mass deportation plan, in which he deported Colombian migrants in military planes and in handcuffs.
Faced with this situation, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, refused to allow two US military plans to land in Colombia until the US authorities provided decent treatment to Colombian migrants.
However, hours later, both governments reached an agreement and assured that they had overcome the impasse.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/BR/SL
