Latin allies urge Maduro to step down Peru
A dozen Latin American governments and Canada have delivered a blistering rebuke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, questioning the legitimacy of his soon-to-begin second term and urging him to hand over power as the only path to restoring democracy in his crisisracked country.
The sharp criticism came during a meeting yesterday in Peru’s capital Lima of foreign ministers from countries including Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, all of which have been weighing how to confront the increasingly authoritarian Maduro while absorbing a growing exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic chaos.
In a statement, the Lima Group urged Maduro to refrain from taking the presidential oath next Friday and instead cede power to the oppositioncontrolled congress until new, fairer elections can be held.
‘‘Only through the full restoration, as soon as possible, of democracy and a respect for human rights is it possible to resolve the country’s political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis,’’ the diplomats said.
Even before announcing the resolution, the group’s meeting – with the participation of United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – drew a sharp response from Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. He accused the coalition of taking orders directly from US President Donald Trump, who Caracas frequently accuses of spearheading an economic war against the country.
‘‘What a display of humiliating subordination!’’ Arreaza said on Twitter.
A once-wealthy oil nation, Venezuela is in the throes of crisis after two decades of socialist rule, marked by hyperinflation that makes it difficult for people to afford scarce food and medicine. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have emigrated since 2015, according to the United Nations.
The Lima Group was formed more than a year ago by mostly conservative-run regional governments seeking to defuse a crisis in Venezuela that is increasingly threatening regional stability.
The group joined the US and others in condemning Maduro’s re-election in May as a sham, after popular opponents were banned from running and the largest anti-government parties boycotted the vote.
Among other steps, the group vowed to block top Venezuelan officials from entering their countries, and to freeze assets they hold abroad. The resolution also expressed support for an effort to prosecute Maduro at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
But beyond the heated rhetoric, the anti-Maduro coalition showed signs of fraying along ideological lines.
Regional power broker Mexico was one of the early and biggest promoters of the Lima Group, but it sent a lower-level representative to the Lima meeting, who refused to sign the resolution, reflecting the policy of nonintervention favoured by that nation’s new leftist president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.