President Donald Trump can stop China from taking control of the influential Organization of American States (OAS) just by announcing he supports the pro-U.S. candidate, top political strategist Dick Morris says.
"This organization was set up to embody the Monroe Doctrine that keeps foreign powers from colonizing Latin American countries, and there's a vacancy in the office of secretary general," Morris said Thursday on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
On March 10, the OAS will meet to pick a new General Secretary and China is backing Albert Ramdin, the foreign minister of Suriname, for the post.
But Morris said Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, the candidate close to the U.S. and foreign minister of Paraguay, is just a few votes away from winning.
Morris added that he just needs firm support from Trump and the State Department.
"There was a meeting at the White House, apparently, and Trump said he was opposed to Ramdin and that he would like to see [Ramirez Lezcano] elected," Morris said.
But Morris said the State Department claimed that Ramirez just doesn’t have the votes to win.
Morris said that was simply not true.
Ramirez is close to the finish line with at least 8 undecided nations still waiting to hear from Trump as to his choice.
Morris said Trump also can send a very clear message to OAS member states, telling them if they pick the pro-China Ramdin they can set up a “new organization” and can fund their budget of $100 million with Beijing’s money, not America’s.
Each member country has one vote no matter their population, and the "leftist" countries of Latin America, including Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, are working together with many smaller pro-China ones to elect Ramdin.
"The U.S. should be backing Ramirez, the foreign minister of Paraguay, who is very pro-American," said Morris.
But China, he said, is trying to "control the hemisphere. What they're doing is going to a country like Peru and saying, 'We'll spend $3 billion making a good port for you, and in return, we want liens on your rare earth minerals in the Inca mountains behind us. And we want those mineral rights.'"
"This is highway robbery, and now China is trying to move into the driver's seat," Morris said.
According to the guidelines for the election, a majority of at least 18 of the 34 member states in the OAS, which includes the U.S. and Canada, is needed to select a new secretary general and assistant secretary general, who hold five-year terms and can seek reelection for a second five-year period.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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