Caricom Foreign Ministers call for dialogue in Venezuelan crisis
Caricom Foreign Ministers have called for the opposing parties in Venezuela to soften their deeply entrenched positions, so that trust could be built in order to facilitate dialogue and a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.
“The Foreign Ministers were …persuaded that the solution to the present situation had to be sought internally, supported by a mediated process,” a release on Friday from the Caricom Secretariat said. The release followed the Twentieth Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) held on 18th and 19th May, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
At this meeting regional foreign ministers reiterated the importance with which they hold the fundamental principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and expressed the view that these principles are of paramount importance when addressing international situations of concern.
Decrying the violence taking place and the resulting loss of life and property, they noted that non-interference along with respect for the rule of law, human rights and democracy would prove valuable and pertinent in addressing concerns over the situation in Venezuela.
This position was made public one day after it was reported that the United States had imposed sanctions on the chief judge and seven other members of Venezuela’s Supreme Court as punishment for annulling the opposition-led Congress earlier this year.
A Reuters report from Washington claimed that the new sanctions package was aimed at stepping up pressure on the leftist government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his loyalists, amid growing concern over a crackdown on street protests and his efforts to consolidate his rule over the South American oil-producing country.
It noted that the decision had provoked condemnation from Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez who stated on Twitter that “It’s outrageous and unacceptable for the United States to impose sanctions on a sovereign and independent nation in violation of Venezuelan and international laws.”
Venezuela’s latest wave of anti-government unrest began with the Supreme Court, packed with Maduro supporters, assuming the authorities of the opposition-led Congress in late March.
There was an international outcry against the court’s de facto annulment of the National Assembly, which the opposition won in late 2015 during an unprecedented economic and social crisis. The decision was later partially reversed, though it did not stop the unrest.
Demonstrators are seeking early elections to remove Maduro and bring an end to a devastating recession which has food and medicine running short. The government says the opposition wants a coup and many demonstrators are simply vandals.