Latin American leaders call for unity against growing political polarization

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Latin American leaders, who gathered for a development forum Wednesday, called for regional unity in the face of increasing political polarization and the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not name the United States, but alluded to the country’s recent actions and the resulting political divisions that have caused paralysis in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) — the only organization that includes all the region’s governments.

“It has not been capable of producing even a single declaration against illegal military interventions that affect our region,” Lula said during the economic forum in Panama City hosted by the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We’re experiencing one of the moments of greatest deterioration in the area of integration,” the Brazilian leader said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has sparred with U.S. President Donald Trump and is scheduled to meet him next week in Washington, was more direct, criticizing “bombing” over Caracas and saying former-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should be tried in his own country or by a regional judicial body that he called a “Three Americas Tribunal.”

Leaders from Ecuador, Bolivia and Guatemala were also in attendance, as well as Chile’s President-elect José Antonio Kast.

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