The Lima group meets urgently to face the crisis in Venezuela

Chancellors of Lima Group They meet this Friday in emergency in Lima to badess the crisis in Venezuela after the failed uprising of a group of soldiers in support of the leader of the opposition Juan Guaidóthat the diplomatic bloc recognizes as acting agent.

At the meeting, starting at 15:00 GMT in the Torre Tagle Palace, the seat of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministers or their representatives will look at the situation in Venezuela behind closed doors since Guiadó launched Operation Libertad on Tuesday, demanding that the armed forces withdraw his support for Nicolás Maduro in order to force him to resign.

The security of Guaidó as well as that of the Leader of the Opposition Leopoldo Lopez – released Tuesday from his home arrest by the rebel army and then a refugee in the residence of the Spanish ambbadador in Caracas- is another point that will be addressed, pointed out AFP a diplomatic source of the Lima group.

The disclosure of a statement beginning at 12:40 pm (5:40 pm GMT)announced the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Unlike previous meetings, it was not made public if the US Secretary of State intervened by teleconference. Mike Pompeo or one of your representatives, given the existing coordination between Washington and the bloc.

The meeting was convened urgently at the request of Colombia on Tuesdaywhen the collective is declared "in permanent session"After a videoconference between the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

The Lima group warned in its latest statement "on the direct responsibility of Nicolás Maduro and the armed forces and intelligence in the service of his illegitimate regime by the indiscriminate use of violence ", in the repression of demonstrations taking place in Venezuela, with the balance of four deaths.

Set up in January 2017 to promote democracy through peaceful means in Venezuela, the Lima Group will also reaffirm its confidence in guiding Guaidó.

"All attempts of the opposition to change the chavista regime without negotiation fail"he said to the AFP Farid Kahhat, an international badyst, recalled that "this is not the first time the opposition has tried to take Maduro by force and fails, before being tried by Henrique Capriles and Leopoldo López".

Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Kahhat added that "It is striking that a negotiation is not the bet that the Lima group promotes sometimes, he has in his favor the international recognition of fifty countries as legitimate president and the unconditional support of the United States. "

I consider that "to bet on a type of negotiation would make sense today, at a time when the Venezuelan economy looked more like a country at war. This prompts a sector of the military command to seek the advancement of elections. "

"The only way for Chavismo to survive as a political movement is to stand out from Maduro"He added and believed that the US diplomatic strategy in Venezuela goes through" stir up internal clashes and divide the leadership of Chavez "by threats of intervention.

The Lima Group also opts for increase international pressure against Maduro through the OAS and the UNbut the international community is still Split.

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, asked two weeks ago for new economic sanctions and a possible use of force to resolve the situation in Venezuela, a process he found "difficult".

The measures are aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro, given the deteriorating economic and political situation of the Caribbean country and the impact of the emigration of more than 3 million Venezuelans since 2015, according to the report. # 39; UN.

Venezuela, plunged into an unprecedented economic debacle in recent history, has since January been an impetus for power between parliamentary leader Juan Guaidó, recognized as acting president by more than 50 countries, and President Nicolás Maduro, who supported with support from the army and Russia and China.

(By Luis Jaime Cisneros – AFP)