Lima group calls on the Security Council to discuss human rights violations in Venezuela | Argentina

The Lima group was born to accompany Venezuelan opposition in the search for a peaceful solution to the political and economic crisis that crosses the Caribbean country. Since then, he has focused his efforts on supporting Juan Guaidó, the man they view as Maduro's natural successor. Guaidó was not in Buenos Aires, but he met by videoconference with foreign ministers after six months, after the opposition leader swore in front of a crowd as as president in charge. In a brief message, Guaidó underlined the regional support for the transition, recalled the seriousness of the results of the UN report and gave as an example of the crisis the blackout which, since Monday afternoon, prevents a good part of Venezuela to emerge. The opposition leader also thanked "all the efforts made by the countries of the Lima group to host the Venezuelans" who have fled their country, about four million, according to statistics from the UN.

The meeting constituted renewed support for Guaidó, at a time when pressure from the opposition against Maduro appears to have entered a plateau. "We have spoken with Guaido, who has been in office for six months, and we have renewed our full support in his fight for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," said Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Néstor Popolizio. The meeting ended with a 15-point document in which foreign ministers ratified the regional dimension attributed to the crisis in Caracas.

At the opening of the meeting, Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said the situation was "the most traumatic episode of institutionalization and peace of the last decades", "a threat to "undermine regional and international security." Hence the appeal to the United Nations Security Council, composed of the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom. Kingdom is the council that discusses, for example, any military interventions in third countries.The Lima group "believes that the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights leaves no room for some countries to continue to support the illegitimate regime of Maduro, "says the text read by Faurie to journalists.

The Argentine Foreign Minister called for the organization of early elections, a constant demand of the Lima group, as the only possible way out for "the restoration of the democratic order in Venezuela". Argentina is, with Peru and Brazil, one of the countries that insists the most on an orderly exit from Maduro. At the previous meeting, the government of Mauricio Macri said that he would receive complaints from Venezuelan exiles about human rights violations that he would then pbad on to international organizations. Guaidó celebrated the initiative.

In addition to the representative of Venezuela to Argentina, Elisa Trotta, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faurie, the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana and Peru participated in the meeting in Buenos Aires. Canada, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Saint Lucia sent representatives. Ecuador and El Salvador joined them for the first time as observers. Enrique Iglesias, Special Adviser for Venezuela, participated in the European Union. The Lima group is named after the capital that hosted the first meeting two years ago. The intention of the founders was to avoid the blockade at the OAS, where countries like Bolivia and Ecuador refused to condemn Maduro and the presence of the United States allowed Caracas categorically reject these statements.