What will the meeting of the International Contact Group on Venezuela in Montevideo look like

The meeting held today in Montevideo by a group of countries of Latin America and the European Union to find a way out of the Venezuelan crisis, hardly reach an agreement between the participants because of divergent views on how the exit from Venezuela should be asked: nothing else with a dialogue between government and opposition, or with dialogue but also elections without proscription.

The meeting of the so-called International Contact Group (IGC) It will not be very long and will take place between 11:30 and 15:00. The main difference between Europeans and some Latin American countries lies in whether or not the Maduro government should be required to hold a short-term election to the presidency and the legislaturewhere the banned opposition politicians participate.

While the Latin American countries of the CGI participate in the chancellors of Bolivia (Diego Pary); Costa Rica (Manuel Ventura Robles); from Ecuador (José Valencia); Mexico (Marcelo Ebrard) and Uruguay (Rodolfo Nin Novoa), European representatives are not always the highest authorities in external relations. For example, the directors of Latin America and the Caribbean from their chancelleries came from Germany and France; for Holland, the director for the Western Hemisphere of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; by the United Kingdom, its director for the Americas.

The chancellors present will be those of Spain, Josep Borrell, that of Italy Enzo Moavero, the Swedish minister Margot Wallström and the Portuguese minister Augusto Santos Silva. This also marks the differences within the EU regarding Venezuela and what it means for today 's meeting of some member countries of the European Union.

The Mexican Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard He was ahead of the rest of the delegations and arrived on Tuesday to meet the president. Tabaré Vázquez, the Uruguayan chancellor Rodolfo Nin Novoa and the former president José Mujica.

At the meeting with Nin Novoa, presentation for today's discussion of a document entitled "Mechanism of Montevideo", which provides that the opposition and the Maduro government maintain a series of meetings in search of a negotiated solution to the crisis in the Caribbean. Last night, Maduro said he supported the release proposal in this document., which is also supported by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The proposal comprises four steps: immediate dialogue between the opposition and the government, negotiation and presentation of the results of the dialogue, engagement and signing of agreements and, final stage, implementation and implementation of the agreements, with international accompaniment .

The Uruguayan Chancellor said that Elections are not requested immediately because "We impose conditions that make dialogue difficult"

As mediators between the parties, they have proposed former IDB President, Enrique Iglesias, former Mexican Foreign Minister, Bernardo Sepúlveda, and the former Vice President of the Costa Rica, Rebeca Grynspan.

For its part, the European Union arrives with the position that "credible" elections must be held. To this end, it will be argued in the meeting that political prisoners should be released and that the ban on opposition members who until now can not be subjected to an electoral process should be lifted .

He is also asked "recognition and respect"from the regime in the National Assembly, that the Maduro government facilitates the arrival of"external badistance to meet the urgent needs of the population"and establish one"Balanced composition of the National Electoral Council"

It is proposed that all this be supported and followed by the International Contact Group (ICG) on Venezuela, composed precisely of those gathered today in Montevideo.

In total, there is a 90-day deadline for the publication of the IGC to determine whether or not it could strengthen its role.

The political and economic situation in Venezuela has made them live in Uruguay 9,000 people from this Caribbean country. Many of them usually demonstrate against the Nicolás Maduro government and the GCI meeting in Montevideo will take them to the again concentrated in the center of the Uruguayan capital.

Venezuelans have called on social media for a new protest this afternoon, supporting interim President Juan Guaidó and Maduro.

The meeting will take place at 18:30 at Plaza Fabini, a few blocks from the Libertad building where the meeting of the international contact group should have already ended.

On the other hand, at 7 pm and one block away (Libertad Square), the Uruguayan trade union PIT – CNT called a demonstration for "negotiation and peace" in Venezuela.