(posted April 14, 2:00 p.m.)-President Daniel Ortega, who likes to speak in grandiose terms about the importance of Latin American unity and integration, decided to skip this weekend’s Summit of the Americas in Colombia.
Mr. No-Show: Daniel Ortega likes to talk about Latin American unity almost as much as he likes to avoid regional summits (photo / Tim Rogers)
Instead, the Sandinista government has apparently cobbled together a last-minute act to celebrate Cuban solidarity, which Ortega will preside over this afternoon in Managua.
Ortega’s decision to back out on the hemispheric summit came shortly after Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced he would not be attending the summit due to health considerations. Cuba was not invited to the summit and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa is also playing hooky.
That means that ALBA—a leftist hemispheric bloc that the member countries try to present as a strong alternative voice in the region— will have no meaningful representation at the hemispheric summit.
“President Ortega, according to what the Nicaraguan delegation told us, won’t be here in Cartagena, without explanation for his absence,” Honduran President Porfirio Lobo told the press today in Colombia, in announcing Ortega’s absence for him.
A poorly informed article from NicaDispatch or not properly researched in order to get the “breaking news status”. The reason for not showing up is to show solidarity to Latin American nations that are not invited. For example, Cuba has not been invited. 98% of the nations of the Summit of Americas requested that Cuba needs to be included. But the 2% with “King USA” did not approve it. A very democratic behavior some would say.
Brazil’s and Columbia’s official statements are in defense of Cuba and Latin American sovereignty. All Latin American countries are clear on this subject.
That NicaDispatch does not know this information can be considered worrying – Ignorance or agenda setting motivations on Latin American geopolitical topics seems to be alive and kicking.