OAS Meets With Former Presidents Mediating Venezuela Tensions

OAS Meets With Former Presidents Mediating Venezuela Tensions
Fecha de publicación: 
21 June 2016
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The meeting takes place two days before the body will discuss whether or not to apply the Democratic Charter in Venezuela.

The Organization of American States will convene a special session with Venezuela on Tuesday before it decides whether to suspend the country from the OAS using the Democratic Charter.

RELATED: Almagro Backtracks, Doesn't Want Venezuela Suspended from OAS

The meeting will include a session with the UNASUR-mediated dialogue team led by former presidents of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez; and Panama, Martin Torrijos. The three former heads of state have been overseeing talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition.

Venezuela’s delegation to the OAS requested the session, which comes two days before the body votes on application of the so-called 'Democratic Charter' against the country, which OAS secretary-general Luis Almagro has been pushing.

Almagro called the meeting "a step that hopefully can add value to the meeting on the 23rd in which presidents can provide new information about the progress they have made," reported the AFP.

The OAS General Assembly, which convened June 13 to 14, voted to hold the session to promote dialogue. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has supported the talks with opposition, but representatives of the right-wing coalition failed to show for the scheduled meeting.

The Permanent Council of the OAS unanimously adopted a resolution on June 1 opposing suspension and encouraging dialogue, and the body repudiated the opposition for not attending the talks to address the economic situation and political deadlock in Venezuela.

Facing a review of his actions as secretary-general, Almagro changed his tune on Venezuela on Monday, saying that he does not want to see the country suspended from the regional bloc.

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