While Latin American leaders are united in their desire to confront US military policy at the EU-CELAC summit, a major question remains: will their “frank” discussions make it into the “final statement”? A top Brazilian diplomat, Ambassador Gisela Padovan, confirmed the topic “will come up” but “didn’t tell reporters whether the gathering’s final statement would include the issue.”
This is the key diplomatic battle. The host, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has made his position clear, calling the 60-plus deaths from a US operation “extrajudicial executions.” Brazil’s President Lula is also there to show “solidarity with Venezuela” against US threats. Both leaders have a strong incentive to get a formal condemnation on the record.
However, a “final statement” is a consensus document, and it must also be signed by the European Union. The EU delegation, though missing its top leaders, is still represented by figures like Spanish PrimeM Pedro Sánchez. It is highly unlikely that the EU, a key US ally, would sign a document that formally condemns US military actions or uses language like “extrajudicial executions.”
This leaves the summit at a crossroads. The leaders will almost certainly fail to agree on a final statement that addresses the real issues discussed. This will force them to choose between two outcomes.
They may release a weak, non-committal final statement that only mentions the “Declaration of Santa Marta” on energy, which would make the summit look like a failure. Or, they may split, with the 33 CELAC nations issuing their own separate declaration, a move that would formalize the rift and be a major diplomatic rebuke to both the US and the EU.
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