Venezuela: the Lima group asked the army to "show its loyalty" to Guaidó

WASHINGTON – The Lima group has asked the army to

Venezuela

to "show their loyalty" to the interim president,

Juan Guaidó

and allow the entry of

humanitarian aid to the country.

The group also urged the United Nations to "immediately respond to the grave human rights situation in this country," according to the final version of the statement signed by eleven countries after a meeting in Ottawa.

The Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru reiterated their recognition and support for Guaidó, as well as in a message addressed directly to the contact group that will meet in Montevideo, affirmed that attempts to resolve the crisis in Venezuela through dialogue "have been manipulated by the regime of

Nicolás Maduro

turning them into "delaying maneuvers to perpetuate power".

The Lima group has been adamant on this point: its statement states that "any political or diplomatic initiative" must aim to "support the constitutional road map" presented by the National Assembly and Guaidó, which seeks a political transition, the release of the Maduro regime, the call for elections and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.

Mexico, one of the founding countries of the Lima group, did not attend the meeting in Ottawa and will be one of the main protagonists of the Montevideo meeting alongside the # 39; Uruguay.

At the same time as the Lima group ministers' statement, Guaidó sent a message to the armed forces: "In a few days, they will have the opportunity to decide whether they are on the side of someone more and more lonely or if they will accompany hundreds of people, thousands of Venezuelans who need food, supplies and medicines, "he said on his Twitter account.

The Prime Minister of Canada,

Justin Trudeau

, announced that it would make available to the Government of Gaudió a US $ 53 million humanitarian aid, a new sign of support for the interim government which, in addition, has increased the pressure on Maduro, which rejected the international aid and even denied the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Canada convened the new meeting of the Lima Group and its main objective was to help Guaidó accelerate the political transition. To the announced humanitarian aid from Canada was adding a wave of European recognitions to Guaidó's interim. And the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
He sent the first signal that he was ready to coordinate an international aid program aimed at opening the Herculean task of future reconstruction of the country.

Guaidó has been recognized by 18 European countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom. .

The complete declaration

The governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, members of the Lima group, declare what follows:

1. They reiterate their gratitude and support to Juan Guaidó as President in charge of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in accordance with his Constitution. They welcome the decision of the growing number of countries that have recognized President Juan Guaidó and call upon the international community to give him their strongest support, as well as the National Assembly in their efforts to set up a government of its own. democratic transition. in Venezuela.

2. They welcome the request of President Juan Guaidó to incorporate the legitimate Government of Venezuela into the Lima Group and welcome him.

3. Agree to recognize and collaborate with the representatives appointed by the government of President Juan Guaidó in the respective countries.

4. They note that the dialogue initiatives promoted by various international actors have been manipulated by the Maduro regime, turning them into delaying tactics to perpetuate themselves in power and therefore consider that any political or diplomatic initiative developed must aim to: support the constitutional road map presented by the National Assembly and the current president, Juan Guaidó, which aims a peaceful transition between the Venezuelans, which will allow the exit of the dictatorial regime of Maduro, will allow the convocation of elections and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.

5. Call for the immediate restoration of democracy in Venezuela through the holding of free and fair elections convened by the legitimate authorities, in accordance with international standards and as soon as possible. These elections must be organized with sufficient guarantees, with the participation of all political leaders and with international observation, in addition to the appointment of a new national electoral council.

6. Condemn the persistent and serious violations of human rights committed in Venezuela. In this sense, they reject the acts of violence and repression of the popular demonstrations of the security forces that have caused many deaths, injuries and arrests.

7. The restoration of full freedom of the press, the end of censorship and the normalization of the functioning of the media, the operation of which has been arbitrarily hindered by the Maduro regime, are urgent.

8. They reaffirm that it is important to effectively implement the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted on 27 September 2018, entitled "Promotion and Protection of Human Rights". man in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ". The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is urged to respond immediately to the grave human rights situation in that country.

9. Express their deep concern at the situation of political prisoners in Venezuela and demand their immediate release; likewise, they demand that the physical integrity of the members of the National Assembly be guaranteed.

10. They reiterate their deep concern over the serious humanitarian situation in Venezuela caused by the Maduro regime. They believe that it is imperative to guarantee access to humanitarian aid to meet the urgent needs of Venezuelans. They call on the United Nations and its agencies and the international community to prepare to provide humanitarian badistance to the people of this country.

11. They call on the Venezuelan National Armed Forces to be loyal to the President in charge of their constitutional function as Commander-in-Chief of the Constitution. They also urged the national armed forces not to prevent the entry and transit of humanitarian aid to Venezuelans.

12. They reiterate their concern at the exodus caused by the political, economic and social crisis in Venezuela and underline its close connection with the breakdown of the constitutional order. They also recognize the efforts of host countries and stress the need to support and strengthen their capacity for humanitarian attention and response by facilitating access to needed resources.

13. To take note of resolution 1/2019 of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which provided for provisional measures in favor of Juan Guaidó and his family, and to demand their immediate implementation.

14. Deny the measures of the Supreme Court of Justice, controlled by the Maduro regime, to prohibit the departure of President Juan Guaidó from the country and to block his accounts and badets in Venezuela.

15. They underline the fundamental role played by the Supreme Court of Justice in opening up the democratic transition process.

16. They call on members of the international community to prevent the Maduro regime from carrying out financial and commercial transactions abroad, to have access to Venezuela's international badets and to do business in the areas of oil, gold and others. .

17. Finally, they reiterate their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force.