International
Almagro says that in the OAS “he delegitimized dictatorships” and “detaned himself from ideology”
The outgoing secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, defended this Friday that he “delegitimized dictatorships” and “detaned himself from ideologies” during his decade in office (2015-2025), which will end in 10 days.
“We have done a strong, intense work of delegitimization of each of the dictatorships of the continent. That has been our work, that is what the organization’s regulations required of us,” Almagro said at an event at the Cuban Diaspora Museum in Miami.
Almagro, who on May 25 will hand over the post to Surinamese Albert Ramdin, the first Caribbean to lead the organization, claimed his fight against the “dictatorships” of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, by maintaining that this transcends ideological positions, as his critics claim.
“I have the ability, we have had the ability to detach ourselves from ideology because the one who leaves (clings) and prefers to continue and die clinging to ideology instead of principles, that is a serious mistake,” he said.
The secretary, who held the position of foreign minister of Uruguay between 2010 and 2015 with the now deceased former president José Mujica, is about to end his mandate in the OAS, in which he received criticism from left-wing governments, such as Mexico, Bolivia and Colombia, in addition to the countries already mentioned.
In addition, the controversy was intensified by an external investigation in 2023 by the law firm Miller & Chevalier, which determined that he violated OAS ethical standards by maintaining a relationship with an official of the organization.
But the Uruguayan boasted of his legacy that includes “not allowing the normalization of dictatorships in the democratic community of the Americas”.
He also emphasized that he arrived under the presidency in the United States of Democrat Barack Obama, but he was also in the administrations of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, as well as in the course of left and right waves in Latin America.
“We knew how to navigate all those waters and we always navigate them attached to the fundamental principles and values of each of the conventions, but each of these these determinations of political dignity, which are fundamental freedoms and which is democracy,” he said.
The official made these statements at an event in which the exiled community in Florida of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela gave him recognition for considering him “a civil hero” who defended freedom and democracy in these countries.
Cuban activist Rosa María Payá, for example, considered that Almagro was characterized by being “the only secretary general who has called things by their name,” in reference to dictatorships, political prisoners and crimes against humanity.
The official remarked that the officials in Cuba and Venezuela do not have “any ideological elaboration”, because both “the left and the right must be able to generate rights for people.”
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
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