The leaders of the 12-country Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) named former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner as their secretary-general on Tuesday, setting aside their differences in the hope of becoming a regional force for unity, development and democracy building.
The group condemned Arizona’s immigration law as a violation of human rights, issuing a declaration that said the law legitimizes “racist attitudes” in US society and increases “the latent risk of violence due to racial hate, lamentable episodes that have involved South American victims.”
UNASUR was formed in 2008, in part as a counterpoint to the Organization of American States and other regional organizations dominated by Washington, but member nations failed to agree on a leader until now. Plans for a permanent UNASUR headquarters near Ecuador’s capital Quito and a parliament building planned in Cochabamba, Bolivia, remain on the drawing board.
According to UNASUR’s founding treaty, the secretary-general must focus solely on regional matters and not national politics during his two-year term. That may be problematic for Kirchner, the leader of a key Argentine political party who has all but declared himself a candidate to succeed his wife, Cristina Fernandez, in Argentina’s presidential elections next year.
Kirchner will also have to give up his job as a deputy in Argentina’s Congress, either by quitting outright or by asking for a leave of absence, which would allow him to retain his congressional immunity from prosecution.
Argentina’s newspapers, a federal judge and Congress are investigating allegations that ministers and aides to Kirchner and his wife forced Argentine companies to pay bribes to do business in Venezuela.
Kirchner was designated by unanimous consent after leaders praised his experience and stature. Uruguay previously blocked Kirchner’s appointment because Argentina has tacitly supported protesters blocking a key bridge over their shared river border in a campaign against a Uruguayan paper mill.
The three-year blockade continues, despite a World Court ruling Uruguay hoped would lead to a resolution.
Recently elected Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said he supports Kirchner’s appointment unconditionally, even though it will cost him politically.
“We support consensus, and we are going to continue doing so, counting on good faith without conditions,” Mujica said.
He dismissed reports that his support was conditioned on Fernandez forcing the protesters to open the bridge.
Other issues on the UNASUR agenda included discussions about democracy in Honduras and help for earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile.
The UNASUR nations also include Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela.
Most leaders showed up in person for the meeting, including Chile’s new right-wing billionaire president, Sebastian Pinera, and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. But Colombia’s outgoing President Alvaro Uribe, who clashed with Chavez and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa at an earlier UNASUR meeting, sent a minister instead.
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