Brazil proposes interministerial group to help Venezuela
During a press conference held Friday (Feb. 1), Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo said Brasil is proposing the creation of an interministerial group to discuss initiatives for providing support for the political transition in Venezuela. The goal is to discuss measures to help the administration of Juan Guaidó, interim president of Venezuela.
Araújo said “no deadline has been set the proposal to become effective, but we do hope it materializes soon.”
On the list of measures to be considered are expanding the humanitarian aid offered to Venezuela, re-negotiating the debts of the country or the extension of the term for payment, and even a possible freeze on the assets of Venezuelan authorities linked to Maduro’s administration, in addition to other specific sanctions which, according to the minister, would come to favor the shift in power in Venezuela.
“We’d have to consider this procedure under Brazilian legislation and international norms. The main thing is to develop a continued diplomatic topic in favor of a democratic transition, regardless of specific mechanisms,” Araújo declared.
Debts
As for the Venezuelan debt, Araújo said the issue must be brought to debate by Brazilian financial authorities, like the Central Bank. The debt incurred by Venezuela with Brazil’s National Economic and Social Development (BNDES) could be re-structured, he argued.
Late in December, Nicolpas Maduro went as far as to bring forward a proposal for re-splitting the debt, which adds up to $795 million. “Right now, we have no concrete proposals on the table for settling this debt,” Araújo stated.
Regarding humanitarian aid, the Brazilian chancellor said that Brazil has held talks with authorities in Colombia, a country that could spearhead the move. “I hope this logistics, once ascertained, may reach Venezuela unimpeded by elements linked Maduro’s regime,” he said.
Lima Group
The Venezuelan crisis will be part of the agenda at the meeting of the Lima Group—Argentina, Brasil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Guyana, and Saint Lucia—which is slated to convene again in Ottawa, Canada, to work through the ways to help Guaidó build his new government. “Our stance is, we will continue to provide maximum support for the initiatives aimed at the democratic transition in Venezuela,” Araújo pointed out.
In the press conference, the chancellor lambasted Maduro, who he said should be held accountable for various criminal actions, including what he termed “silent genocide.” He also said that Maduro is linked to drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism.
“There was a deliberate policy for making the people starve, denying medical treatment and other care, to have the population subdued. The regime was part of an international scheme that imagined it could at one point seize power over all of Latin America.”
Pressure
In the last few days, international pressure on the Maduro administration mounted. Yesterday (Jan. 31), the European Union, which recognized Juan Guaidó as president of Venezuela, recommended the countries in the region to follow suit.
European Union Diplomatic Chief Federica Mogherini unveiled the creation of a group of European and Latin-American countries to seek a way out of the crisis in Venezuela through elections. The group will last for 90 days.
“We hope that Maduro’s departure may be the door out somehow. Brazil is not involved in how this departure will come about; we understand that this would be the task for this new democratic landscape gaining shape in Venezuela. The end of the crisis will only come after the total ouster of the current regime,” Ernesto Araújo stated.
The chancellor said that the government will only accept the work of the contact groups if they make sure they do not recognize Maduro’s legitimacy as president. “Giving room for the regime to breathe and getting another month… Stalling for time—that’s not acceptable for us,” he said.
