BRASILIA--Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday called on South American countries to unite for regional development at a summit of presidents, although divergent views on Venezuela quickly rose to the surface. Lula urged the South America's 12 countries to overcome ideological differences that have divided the region and join efforts toward more economic, cultural and social integration. But their first continental gathering in almost a decade surfaced opposing views when the presidents of Chile and Uruguay President Luis Lacalle Pou criticized Lula's embrace of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro as a democratically elected leader.
Lula met with Maduro on Monday on the Venezuelan president's first visit to Brasil in eight years as the countries restored diplomatic relations. Lula told reporters that there was "very large" prejudice against the country and that the image of an "anti-democratic and authoritarian" Venezuela was a "narrative" promoted by the Western countries imposing sanctions that exacerbate the country's humanitarian crisis. On Tuesday, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou challenged Lula's comments directly. "I was surprised when you say that what happened in Venezuela is a narrative. You already know what we think about Venezuela and about the Venezuelan government," he told the meeting of presidents in comments shared via Instagram live. Lacalle Pou said much of the world was "trying to mediate so that democracy is full in Venezuela, that they have human rights, that there are no political prisoners.
The worst thing we can do is to block out the sun." Chilean President Gabriel Boric also told journalists outside the summit that he disagreed with Lula's statements. "It's not a narrative construction. It is a reality, it is serious," Boric said, adding that respect for human rights was "basic and important" for Chile.
