Juanson World

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez refused to have an OAS team investigate the closure of RCTV, and a Venezuelan candidate was elected to head the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Miami Herald

Despite over seventy percent approval ratings at home, Colombian president Alvaro Uribe faces a tough audience in Washington. LA Times

Uribe will appear with Bill Clinton at a gala in New York featuring other luminaries during his US trip. Financial Times

High ranking government officials have been implicated in money laundering through the Brazilian street betting game known as jogo de bicho. New York Times

The US State Department confirmed that third parties have approached the US on behalf of Havana, and that the OAS should play a role in advancing democracy in Cuba. Miami Herald

Chavez proposed expanding the purview of ALBA (Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, and Nicaragua) towards defense matters. AP

Costa Rica broke relations with Taiwan. AP

Andres Oppenheimer bemoans the silence of most OAS countries in regards to the closure of RCTV. Miami Herald

Marifeli Perez-Stable comments on Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Miami Herald