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In the United States, the leaders of many Latin American countries voted overwhelmingly against members of the Venezuelan socialist government guilty of corruption, violation of human rights and drug trafficking.
Members of the so-called Rio Treaty – a mutual defense pact rarely invoked by the United States, Canada and several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean – voted 16 to 1 to approve the measures. Uruguay opposed, Trinidad and Tobago abstained and Cuba was absent.
Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said the countries had agreed to "all available measures" to prosecute and extradite the suspects from President Nicolas Maduro's government and freeze the assets of targeted individuals in the country. 39, one of the treaty countries.
Holmes Trujillo said the governments, meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, had not considered any military actions at this stage. They also agreed to set up teams of investigators specializing in financial crime.
"Many democracies are now working together to create the conditions necessary for the return of democracy and freedom to the Venezuelan people," said Holmes Trujillo.
It remains to be seen how the measures will be promulgated and implemented. In theory, however, there would be a much stronger plan of action against a country already struggling with overwhelming poverty, deprivation and political chaos.
The 1947 Rio Treaty is no longer in effect since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States. The agreement establishes that a threat to a member is a threat to all.
The annual US summit, the largest diplomatic scene in the world, provides a busy forum and unparalleled audience for Maduro opponents who are trying to overthrow him – a campaign supported by the Trump administration that has largely failed.
In addition to the Rio Treaty meeting, the so-called Lima Group, a smaller coalition of Latin American countries centered on Venezuela, was meeting. Opposition groups were hosted by think tanks and held bilateral discussions with Trump administration officials, including the president. Wednesday.
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced last week that the Rio Treaty would be invoked on behalf of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader whom the United States and many other countries have recognized as the the legitimate leader of this South American country, once rich in oil. Pompeo cited Venezuela's "belligerent actions" with the aim of deploying military units along its border with Colombia.
Eighteen countries in the Western Hemisphere are signatories to the treaty. Venezuela left the pact, as did Mexico. The Venezuelan opposition, which wanted to join the treaty, was allowed to vote on Monday.
"The one who closed the door to negotiations, elections and national unity is Maduro himself," Guiado foreign affairs representative Julio Borges said in an interview on Monday. "We have to use all the tools we have to push it."
Borges spoke in the Venezuelan consulate in New York, whose anti-Maduro forces managed to take possession just three months ago. They said that the former occupiers, the Maduro loyalists, had searched the imposing but faded building before leaving; there was little furniture and paint stains on the bare walls.
Colombia formally accuses Venezuela of harboring "terrorists", mainly dissident guerrillas opposed to the Bogota government, and refusing to join the ongoing peace process that ended the country's longest-running civil war in 2016. hemisphere.
Prior to Monday's meeting, Colombian President Ivan Duque again sentenced Maduro, accusing him of crimes against humanity.
"It's not just a dictatorship, it's a narco-dictatorship," Duque told a group of Colombians Sunday in suburban New York. "A dictatorship that destroyed freedom of the press, institutions, tore the people."
Duque, from a right-wing party that did not participate in the drafting of the Colombian peace agreement, benefited from the enthusiastic support of President Trump.
Dozens of sanctions have been imposed by the Trump and Obama administrations, but opponents of Maduro hope more Latin America will join the pressure campaign alongside Europe.
Maduro is not expected to attend the US General Assembly, but Guaido representatives are in New York. The United States still recognize Maduro.
The United States, Colombia and several other regional leaders say the crisis in Venezuela is destabilizing the entire continent. More than 4 million Venezuelans have fled hunger and disease in their country and settled in neighboring countries.
Colombia's ambassador to the United States, Francisco Santos, said his country was to serve as a model for immigration, as it had hosted refugees, provided temporary shelter, and provided other relief. But he added that Colombians would eventually lose patience because the country's infrastructure and public budget would be submerged.
The United States, which refused to grant special status to Venezuelan refugees, long opposed Maduro and launched a concerted campaign in January for Guaido and increased sanctions on Venezuelan banks and oil. Government officials at the time suggested that Maduro would fall quickly.
But the former bus driver and autocratic ruler remains in place and the last attempt at negotiation has ended in failure.
Borges, along with other members of the opposition, insist that the sanctions severely undermine the Maduro government by creating cracks in the army and other security forces. Borges said Maduro remained in power only thanks to Cuba and Russia.
"Cuba is the true political brain" of Maduro, said Borges, sharing the same tactic of harsh repression of dissidents and social activists.
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