LatAm bloc to stand in solidarity with Venezuela, says Brazilian FM

BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) will see Latin America express its solidarity with Venezuela amid increasing military and political pressure from the United States, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said Wednesday.

The summit, to be held in Colombia on Nov. 9 and 10, "will be a meeting with an agenda of regional support and solidarity towards Venezuela, and reflects President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's reiterated stance that Latin America and, above all, South America, are a region of peace and cooperation," Vieira said in Belem, capital of the northern state of Para, on the sidelines of the ongoing 30th UN climate conference.

The top diplomat, who confirmed Lula's participation in the CELAC-EU summit, said the possibility of issuing a joint statement in support of Venezuela will depend on the diplomatic negotiations that will take place in the coming days between the bloc's member countries.

According to Vieira, Brazil's talks with the United States on the latter's tariff hikes on Brazilian exports will not be affected by its stance in solidarity with Venezuela.

Lula told foreign correspondents last week that the CELAC-EU summit will address both the situation in Venezuela and the growing U.S. military presence in the region. The United States has been carrying out strikes against vessels in Caribbean waters that it suspects of involvement in drug trafficking. ■