Actualité - Venezuela Backs Ecuador, Censures US

Caracas, Dec 20 (Prensa Latina) - Venezuela voiced support to Ecuadorian opposition to borderfumigation in Colombia and pointed to the United States as the true cause of drug trafficking.

In welcoming the president-elect of Ecuador, President Hugo Chavez criticized efforts to clean out coca plantations with the highly toxic glyphosate.

Chavez called to set up a joint South American policy to fight drug traffic, based on common interests and avoid US-imposed provocation. He also called on Colombia to seek new methods.

The statesman recalled that each year Venezuela eradicates thousands of acres of illegal crops by hand and rejects using the scourge as a pretext to harm the environment and humans.

President Chavez recalled that the United States has used drug trafficking as an excuse to penetrate countries and harass the peoples as well as justifying its military presence, as it did in the past with Communism.

Chavez also accused US Ambassador William Brownfield of telling “a great lie” that drug traffic increased in Venezuela after it terminated cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

He added that these ties came to an end because the DEA ran secret bases and blackmailed police and National Guard to do political intelligence and support destabilization attempts.

In addition, the true source of drug traffic is the profits the banks reap by laundering billions in drug money and no one says a word.

After Venezuela ended ties with the DEA, drug confiscation in the country doubled, and he called on the US to respect the truth and show respect to the people and government of Venezuela.

(Prensa Latina News Agency)