The Foreign Ministers of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, meeting in Caracas, approved a special declaration in which they express their opposition to the actions held by Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Company against Ecuador. Moreover ALBA countries agree to convene a meeting with the Southern countries affected by law suits held by transnational corporations. During this meeting they will exchange information and establish legal mechanisms to obtain mutual support. The meeting will be held in Ecuador in April 2013.
Special Declaration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the ALBA, signed in Caracas on Thursday, expresses a strong rejection of “maneuvers done by the company Chevron with the purpose of affecting the image and damage Ecuador`s international economic and commercial interests through a disinformation campaign which is declared inadmissible from the political, legal and moral point of view.”
Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Company sued for an alleged breach of Ecuador’s obligations under the Treaty of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement between Ecuador and the United States of America, which is intended to declare Ecuador responsible for environmental damage in the Amazon region which is subject of the ongoing trial in the National Court of Justice (CNJ).
The ALBA also made a call to the countries of the region to join forces to make the international community to develop rules and principles regulating the activities held by transnational corporations so that they will be a factor in the development of the peoples, and non-exploitation and incessant depredation of their natural resources and environmental destruction.
The Arbitral Tribunal, convened under the rules of UNCITRAL, declared itself competent to analyze the demand and issued interim awards where it was determined that Ecuador should take all necessary measures to suspend or lead to the suspension of the execution and decision held in “Lago Agrio”, to be recognized within and abroad. Ecuador has rejected these pronouncements.
They also reject “the retroactive and unprecedented interpretation of the Arbitral Court taking Chevron case against the Republic of Ecuador to establish its jurisdiction over this case based on an investment protection treaty that took effect years after the multinational left Ecuador”.
On the fourth point, the ALBA appealed to the Governments of the region, whose countries are members of UNASUR and CELAC, show solidarity with Ecuador with the unfair and abusive actions held by Chevron, to denounce in the international forums the performing maneuvers that this company without caring that their actions can affect the development of the country and evade justice, as well as to take effective measures to enforce this solidarity.
Finally, they show their rejection of the acts of intimidation, threats, disinformation campaigns, political and media pressure made by the company Chevron aimed to discredit Ecuador and its Government, making it appear as a law-breaker. Urges to change attitude and consider taking necessary action against the company Chevron to defend the interests of the government and Ecuadorians.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, expressed the need to expedite a response to Chevron and offered Venezuelan full support to Ecuador. “Venezuela offers all its equipment to support Ecuador in this area. Aggression against Ecuador is an aggression against all of us; we have to come together politically and legally. With this issue we’ll go Quito or until the end of the world “.
ALBA´s Political Council declaration
