4 Latin America nations pull out of defense treaty
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Four Latin American countries are pulling out of a regional defense treaty while pressing for changes in the Organization of American states.
The foreign ministers of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua announced their decision Tuesday at the OAS annual assembly in Bolivia.
Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino says the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance was originally created as a U.S. initiative and it's no longer worth being a part of. The treaty says an armed attack against any of the member states is to be considered an attack against all of them.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The leftist governments of the four nations have also argued for the elimination of the OAS's Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. They accuse it of acting in concert with the U.S. to target leftist governments.