Ally Cheers Peruvians for Resisting U.S.

President Hugo Chavez on Sunday praised his Andean counterparts for asserting their independence from the United States by resisting U.S. pressure to condemn Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s recent victory in the polls.

Chavez, a left-leaning nationalist who led a botched coup attempt in 1992 and was elected president in December 1998, stressed that the U.S. has no business getting involved in Peru’s internal affairs.

“If we had left Peru alone in the face of pressure by the United States, it [Peru] would be on its knees right now,” Chavez said upon arriving in Venezuela after attending a two-day summit in Lima, Peru.

The U.S. government harshly criticized Fujimori’s reelection in a May 28 vote that was boycotted by his main rival, Alejandro Toledo, who said the poll was rigged.

The United States called on the Organization of American States to apply economic and political sanctions in an effort to isolate the Andean country. However, the OAS stopped short of questioning Fujimori’s victory or imposing sanctions. Instead it resolved to send a high-level mission to Peru to work on strengthening democratic institutions.

Amid this backdrop, the presidents of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela signed a document Saturday establishing “the principle of nonintervention” in these Andean nations.

Chavez, who was sworn in as president of the Andean Community during the summit, said cooperation between Andean nations is necessary to curb the dominance of the U.S. in international affairs.

He also stressed that opposing a “unipolar” world dominated by a single superpower will benefit the Andean nations in general, not only Venezuela.

Political analysts in Venezuela believe the pact could strengthen Chavez’s diplomatic muscle in the troubled region.

Fausto Maso, a highly respected political analyst and columnist for the daily El Nacional newspaper, said the pact will “lessen the cost” of diplomatic conflicts with the United States, because Venezuela will be able to count on support from its neighbors.