WASHINGTON.—During an extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), Latin American and Caribbean countries supported the dialogue process taking place in Venezuela, which they consider a means to ensure respect for the country’s sovereignty and prevent foreign intervention.
According to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, Nicaraguan Ambassador, Denis Moncada, together with Ronald Sanders, ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda, stressed that the Venezuelan people should decide the country’s future, in exercise of their sovereignty, and that the dialogue initiative had their full support.
Likewise, the representative of Ecuador, Marco Vinicio Albuja, supported the initiative led by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the former prime minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and former presidents of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández, and Panama, Martín Torrijos.
The Bolivian delegation to the OAS stated that dialogue is a means to respect the sovereignty and self-determination of Venezuela, while also expressing support for the UNASUR initiative.
During the meeting, Argentina’s delegation to the OAS proposed the establishment of a GroupofFriendsof the Permanent Council of the Organization, to accompany and support the work of the three former heads of state.
Former Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004-2011), noted that the dialogue process seeks to respect Venezuelan sovereignty, and protect the country from any interference.
The Spanish politician added that this mediation effort is being undertaken with full impartiality and that during this exploratory phase, they are seeking to build the foundations of a solid and consistent dialogue.
He further explained that since May 19, a total of twenty meetings with the Venezuelan government and opposition forces have been held in Caracas and the Dominican Republic.
Zapatero stated that he hoped the agreement to initiate the dialogue process would be reached shortly and stressed that reconciliation is an essential task and marks the beginning of the road ahead.
At another point, he noted that the dialogue should “address some of the major and serious economic problems facing Venezuela.”
TeleSUR reported that this extraordinary session of the OAS Permanent Council was requested by Venezuela, in the lead up to the session convened for June 23, to discuss whether the OAS should apply the Democratic Charter to Venezuela, as requested by its Secretary General, Luis Almagro.
Representatives of the Venezuelan government and opposition forces held an exploratory meeting in the Dominican Republic on May 27, to establish a dialogue process, and agreement on peace, respect for national sovereignty, the Constitution and the people's welfare.
However, on June 7, opposition forces failed to attend further exploratory meetings with the governmental delegation and international representatives in the Dominican Republic, without providing an explanation for their absence.
