OAS adheres to policy of nonintervention concerning Venezuela

A U.S. proposal to intervene in Western Hemisphere nations to push democracy rankled the leaders of several South American countries debating the issue Monday at the meeting of the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/11771_latino.html ' target=_blank>Organization of American States.

"There needs to be a dialogue rather than an intervention," said Brazil`s foreign minister, Celso Amorim. "Democracy cannot be imposed. It is born from dialogue."

The United States has not established how or where the OAS should intervene, but one likely target is Venezuela. The OAS also is concerned about political instability in Ecuador and Bolivia.

The Bush administration has accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of using his country`s democratic institutions to impose authoritarian rule. Venezuela is a member of OAS, informs CNN News.

According to the Washington Post, the president didn't mention President &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/12/16/40816.html ' target=_blank>Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who has acted in ways the Bush administration has described as undemocratic.

However, the United States has submitted a draft proposal calling on the OAS secretary general to issue a report outlining a "plan of action" for strengthening the democratic charter so the organization can deal more effectively with countries struggling with threats to democratic rule. Other countries have submitted alternate proposals, and the delegates hope to agree on a compromise in time for the conclusion of the conference on Tuesday.