Mujica Gives Maduro Some Friendly Unsolicited Advice

About the tension with the OAS and its secretary Luis Almagro

HAVANA TIMES — Former Uruguayan President José Mujica today questioned the tension between the Secretary General of the OAS, his compatriot Luis Almagro, with the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, who he said is as “mad as a hatter”, reported dpa.

“They say everything to each other and they are not going to fix anything that way,” said Mujica, currently a senator of the governing Frente Amplio coalition, in reference to public exchanges of recent days between Maduro and Almagro, who was his foreign minister between 2010 and 2015.

In a statement released today by the Uruguayan press, Mujica said he has great respect for the Venezuelan president, “but that does not mean not telling him he’s crazy.” “You’re crazy as a loon,” he said.

Asked about allegations from Maduro claiming that Almagro works for the CIA, Mujica said, “No, it has nothing to do with the case.” He added that the situation in Venezuela is pretty screwed up.

Mujica also rejected accusations from Maduro that Almagro is a traitor. “Almagro is not a traitor. He is a lawyer, a slave of the law. I disagree with Almagro on some things, but also with Maduro on this.”

Mujica noted: “the problem is not Almagro but Venezuela, which should try to fix the economic crisis.” “A country cannot live in a constant slugfest. Somehow Venezuelans have to fix things between them.”

Almagro and Maduro this week staged a hard verbal confrontation with accusations, criticisms and warnings.

The Secretary General of the OAS is studying whether to enable the Inter American Democratic Charter over the serious situation in Venezuela, to which the Government of Maduro strongly opposes, believing that this would be interference in the internal affairs of the country.

Almagro has the power to invoke Article 20 of the charter, which authorizes the convening of the Standing Council of the organization when in a Member State there is “an alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order.”

To take such action requires the votes of the majority of the members of the OAS (at least 18 votes).