A few hours before the opening of the meeting in Bogotá of the Group of Lima* with the presence of US vice-president Mike Pence, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament reiterate their wish for an agreed solution and to avoid the use of force.
The S&D MEP Ramón Jáuregui, who co-chairs the EU-Latin America Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT), said:
“The situation in Venezuela worsens every day and our concern about the end of this crisis also increases. The rejection of humanitarian aid is incomprehensible. The violence by the Maduro Government at the borders is unjustifiable.
“There is a dangerous game of the big powers on this board that keeps the Venezuelan people hostage. We Socialists and Democrats stand by the official position of the EU:
1) We do not and we will not accept any military intervention in the country
2) We demand the Government not to use any violence to supress freedoms
3) We have created an International Contact Group to facilitate the only peaceful and democratic way out of this crisis: the calling of elections in full freedom and total transparency.
“Giving the floor to the people and ensuring that its decisions are respected is the only solution to this crisis.”
* Note to the editors
The Group of Lima is composed by 13 Iberoamerican countries plus Canada, and they try to find solutions to the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
