Sir, – I write regarding an Editorial (“Ortega’s return”, November 9th) in which Venezuela’s President Chavez is referred to as a “regional pariah”.
Given that the term pariah means an outcast, your labelling of President Chavez in this way, and by extension Venezuela, is totally inaccurate.
Today, in our own continent, Venezuela has been at the heart of the moves for greater political cultural and economic co-operation. In two weeks’ time, Venezuela will host the first summit of Latin American and Caribbean nations, CELAC, and next year Venezuela will chair the new Union of South American Nations.
More widely, Venezuela’s diplomatic relations with the rest of the world are stronger than they have ever been. We have more embassies than ever before, a sign of our commitment to constructive engagement with countries across the world.
Finally, there is not a single example of Venezuela violating international law or of not meeting its international obligations. – Yours, etc,