Plans approved on Monday at the Rio Group Summit in Mexico to form a new intergovernmental union of American nations, excluding the U.S. and Canada, did not receive the support of the meeting’s Colombian representatives according to Colombian media sources.
The new organization, provisionally called the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, is planned to begin in July 2011 and will “promote sustainable development and advocate a regional agenda in global forums.”
Although the plan received the approval of the majority of the Latin American country representatives, Colombia reportedly opposed the plan, saying that the government would not support the exclusion of certain countries.
Colombia’s Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said that it was not only the exclusion of the North American countries that the government disapproved of, but also that the new organization would be used in opposition to existing unions such as UNASUR and the Organization of American States (OAS).
Bolivian President Evo Morales condemned Colombia’s position, calling President Alvaro Uribe an “agent for the United States.”
This follows news that tensions at the Mexican meeting were high between Venezuela’s President Chavez and Colombia’s President Uribe, culminating in a shouting match between the two nation’s leaders.