Memorandum to the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town on the Executive Order imposed on the Government of Venezuela

21 April 2015

The 19th April 2015 marks the Global Action Day in Solidarity with the peoples of Venzuela against US imperialist aggression. This Internationalist movement unequivocally condemns the executive order imposed by Barack Obama against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as extraterritorial aggression and violation of International Law as well as her territorial sovereignty.

We the members of the following progressive organisations have the moral and revolutionary obligation to defend the right of Venezuela to self-determination:

South African Communist Party (SACP),

African National Congress (ANC),

Friends of Cuba Society,

National Union of Mineworkers (NUM),

Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union (POPCRU),

National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU),

South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU),

South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU),

South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU).

Understanding that:

This Global Day of Action in Solidarity with the Venezuela against US imperialist agenda coincides with Chris Hani month in our politica calender. As our stalwart cde. Chris Hani, former SACP General secretary, Commander of Umkhonto weSizwe belongs to the long tradition of internationalist matyrs such as Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Amilcar Cabral, Thomas Sankara amongst others. Since this year marks 22 years since the cowardly assasination of comrade Chris Hani we dedicate 22 Days of Activism in the Fight against Imperialist Aggression.

Believing that:

• One of the key terrains of struggle that contributed decisively to the defeat of colonialism and Apartheid in South Africa was the International Solidarity Movements.
• Venezuela is one of those countries whose ideological orientation aligns itself with an Internationalist Struggle to build a socialist world, a world based on human needs and not private profits for a tiny minority, a world “United for a Progressive Better World”
• The Socialist regimes of Latin America have been systematically opposing the aggressive and imperialist foreign policy of United States of America in all its forms.
• Both the United States of America and Bolivian Republic of Venezuela are members and signatory to the United Nations Charter whose membership is based on equal sovereignty of States and the right to self-determination.
• The United States of America is in violation of International Law which recognises the right to self-determination as a legal right for States and its people to decide their own destiny in the International Order. Equally cognisant of the fact that self-determination is a core principle of International Law recognised as a general principle enshrined in a number of International treaties.
• The Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States approved Declaration onMarch 07, at its special meeting convened to discuss the request of Panama to consider the situation in the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela.

Noting that:

• On the 9th of March 2015, the US government sought to yet again undermine the sovereignty of the Socialist government of Venezuela by issuing an Executive Order declaring “a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela”.
• The Executive Order comes against the US destabalisation agenda of regime change creating unrest using media and propaganda to portray Venezuela as athoritarian without respect for the value of human life. The United States and its imperialist allies in Venezuela proceeded to use these protests as a proxy to advance its acts of aggression undermining international law.
• This executive order imposes sanctions on a regime which has fought tirelessly against the imperialist ambitions of the United States since the late Cde Hugo Chavez was President of Venezuela.
• The US has justified its actions on the basis of “advancing respect for human rights, safeguarding democratic institutions, and protecting the U.S. financial system from the illicit financial flows from public corruption in Venezuela”. At the same time, this government that claims to be safeguarding democratic institutions, conveniently ignores a petition calling on Obama to reverse the order that has been signed by 4 million Venezuelan citizens.
• During the Panama Summit, all the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States which was marked by the historic presence of Cuba, all the countries with the exception of Canada and United States of America rejected the so called “Executive Order” and demanded for its repeal.
• The 2014 Declaration of Solidarity with the Government of Venezuela, which state that the Group of 77 and China expresses its firm rejection to the unilateral sanctions imposed by the Government of the United States against sister Bolivian Republic of Venezuela. This was further expressed on the Declaration adopted at the Group of 77 Summit of Heads of State and Government that took place in the city of Sierra. The Group of 77 reiterated the need to repeal such legislative measure taken against Venezuela that Subverts the United Nations Charter and International Law.

We the Internationalist progressive organisations, stand in solidarity with Venezuela and its people!

We also agree, with the assertion by President Morales of Bolivia that far from being a spontaneous democratic uprising, the anti-government protests in Venezuela were a US-financed coup d`etat which was trying to destroy Hugo Chavez`s humanist legacy. A legacy which has seen the poorest of Venezuela benefit from a range of poverty alleviation programmes.

The progressive countries of the world have been steadfast in condemning this act by the US. The Summit of the Americas, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States as well as the Group of 77+ China have all come out in support of the government of Venezuela.

As such, we stand with the progressive forces of South Africa and the world at-large in condemning the Executive Order by the United States.

We therefore demand:

• The immediate withdrawal of the Executive Order!
• An end to provocative acts perpetrated by the United States of America against Venezuela!
• The respect for the Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela, the democratically elected leadership and her people!
• An end to acts of distabilisation as part of the US agenda of regime change in Venezuela.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has an inalienable right to self-determination and as progressive forces we shall fight to defend her right to sovereignty!

Delivered by:

                                                                                                                                   

SACP                                     ANC                                       NEHAWU

                                                                                                                                   

NUM                                       SAMWU                                 SADTU

                                                                                   

SATAWU                               POPCRU

Accepted by:

                                                                                                            19 April 2015           

United States of America Consulate General                            Date

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