President Duque proposes USAN-alternative to exclude Venezuela

On Monday, President Ivan Duque not only reiterated Colombia’s departure from the Union of South American States (USAN, also known as “Unasur” in Spanish), but also proposed the formation of a new organization called Prosur, which would exclude Venezuela and serve to “protect democracy and the free market.” Four days after the inauguration of Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro, in a radio interview with “Oye Cali,” President Duque doubled down on his remarks against Maduro and USAN: “It is very important that this institution, which has been a [pawn] of the dictatorship of Venezuela, is finished,” President Duque said. “And we have been advancing in conversations with several Latin American presidents, so that [USAN] reaches its end and what begins is the construction of a stage much more agile, less bureaucratic, more coordinated and cooperative.” More…