Threat to Lula comes from those aligned to the North, says Venezuelan vice

The Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodrigues, defended this Tuesday (8.Aug.2023) that those who are behind the threats against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are those with interests “Northern Aligned” is that “prefer to have governments in Amazonian countries that are complacent with illicit activities and the destruction of biodiversity”. He made the statement in a speech during the Amazon Summit meeting.

On the afternoon of 5th (Aug 3), a man was arrested in Santarém, Pará, for threatening to “a shot in the belly” from Lula. He would have also asked the people who were in the establishment where the president would stay when he was in Belém. On the 6th (4.Aug), provisional release was granted.

The Venezuelan vice president said she wanted to take advantage of the space to denounce the “Northern attack against nationalist and progressive governments” Of region. According to her, the Amazonian countries should not accept NATO military bases in the biome, as “North Atlantic countries already have a fixed eye on the natural resources of our territory”.

Rodrigues defended the political, economic and territorial sovereignty of the member countries of ACTO (Amazonian Cooperation Treaty Organization) in the Amazon. In addition, he spoke of the importance of strengthening the State’s role in the biome. “We cannot decentralize the State and hand over these functions to non-governmental organizations, which, in practice, are being financed by the great empires that are interested in exploiting the biodiversity of the Amazon”, stated.

Delcy Rodrigues came to Brazil at the last minute after President Nicolás Maduro canceled the trip due to an ear infection. The vice president presented the country’s proposals for the preservation of the Amazon biome:

• Decree a regional emergency for the Amazon countries;
• Develop a zero deforestation plan;
• Create an Amazonian germplasm bank -genetic material of species- to guarantee reforestation;
• Create a corps to combat forest fires in the Region;
• Eradicate the use of heavy metals in mining activities;
• Eradicate illegal mining;
• Create an Amazonian satellite for remote sensing of the region;
• Create an Amazonian Scientific Council to preserve biodiversity and ancestral knowledge; It is
• Elaborate a sustainable, ecological and sovereign development plan.

AMAZON SUMMIT

The meeting, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), is attended by leaders and authorities from countries that have the Amazon as part of their territory. In addition to Brazil, the biome is located in part of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador.

The 8 countries participating in the Summit are part of ACTO, a body created in 1978 that encourages sustainable development and social inclusion in the region. The 2023 meeting is the 4th between the parties to the treaty and the 1st since 2009.

The event started this Tuesday (Aug 8) and will run until Aug 4 (Aug 9). In a protocol speech, Lula stated that the meeting aims to promote sustainable development in the region, in addition to ensuring the place of the Amazonian countries on the international agenda.

Read more about the Amazon Summit: