Suriname and Guyana stay mum

According to Prensa Latina, former Argentinean Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana (20052010) called the decision of six countries, including his nation, to ‘’abandon the block of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) ‘’a stab in the back’’. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru announced their decision to restrict their participation until the appointment of the secretary general is resolved in a note addressed to Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Huanacuni, who assumed on behalf of that nation the pro tempore presidency.

In a long interview with local newspaper Página 12, the former Argentine minister expressed his concern regarding the weakening or possible end of Unasur which is formed by the 12 independent states of South America and whose joint population with more than 400 million inhabitants represents 68 percent of Latin America. The remaining active Unasur member countries are currently thinking about the future of the South American bloc.

Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia and Ecuador have publicly reconfirmed their commitment to Unasur but Suriname and Guyana have stayed mum on the issue.

The new Unasur chairman, Evo Morales, is currently looking at ways of getting Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru back on board. Unasur was created in 2008 when leftist populism advocated by the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was at its strongest in South America. But in recent years, the bloc has been paralyzed by divisions as center-right governments have risen to power in several countries. The center-right leaders of the countries that exited Unasur do not condone the leftist attitude of Morales and Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro. The remaining active Unasur members are Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Guyana and Suriname. Bolivia’s foreign minister told state media that he will call an emergency meeting to solve the crisis.