Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Foreign Ministers over the weekend met with Venezuela’s Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó as the region seeks to help facilitate a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the South American country. And they say it was a “significant initial step”.
A statement issued by the CARICOM Secretariat yesterday said Guaidó’s delegation met the ministers in Barbados on Saturday the Opposition Leader, who has declared himself Venezuela’s interim leader, joined via teleconference.
“CARICOM Foreign Ministers acknowledged the meeting as a significant initial step in a series of potential engagements that should unfold by agreed mechanisms, within the framework of the Constitution of Venezuela and the rule of law,” the statement said.
“The meeting provided a greater understanding of Mr Guaidó’s views and perspectives on how to move forward in the search for peaceful solutions, as well as his willingness to take part in meaningful discussions. The participants accepted the benefit of further engagement.”
The meeting was held in accordance with the decision of CARICOM Heads of Government to provide good offices in facilitating a peaceful resolution to the Venezuela crisis through a meaningful internal process.
CARICOM has insisted that the crisis in the Spanish-speaking nation be resolved without intervening in the country’s affairs.
Guaidó has been supported in his move to try to replace Nicolas Maduro as president by the United States as well as other Western nations, but China and Russia are in Maduro’s corner.
In a statement today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US of trying to orchestrate a coup in Venezuela and violating the United Nations charter.
Lavrov said in a statement he had complained of “attempts by Washington to organize a coup d’etat in Venezuela” during a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, amid a dispute over Russian military assistance for the crisis-hit country.
It comes after two Russian air force planes landed at the Venezuela’s main airport on Saturday carrying a defence official and nearly 100 troops, according to media reports. (Caribbean360.com)
