US claims Guyana joins democratic countries in support of change in Venezuela

Aug 18, 2020 News

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch

(CMC) – The United States says Guyana has joined “many democratic countries in support of democratic change in Venezuela,” but there has so far been no official response from the new administration in Georgetown to that position.Prior to President Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) coming into office earlier this month, Guyana, which has a territorial border dispute with Venezuela, has adopted the position of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in non-interference in the internal affairs of any country.
But in a statement posted on the US Embassy in Guyana, Washington said “Guyana joins many democratic countries in support of democratic change in Venezuela.”
The Embassy has posted a statement from Michael G. Kozak, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who says “great to see Guyana add its voice for the call to restore a democracy in Venezuela.
“The US encourages all democratic countries to commit to helping the Venezuelan people achieve a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future,” he wrote in a Twitter message.
Washington and most Western countries have been seeking to remove President Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn into office for a second consecutive term in January last year, while he has the support of Russia, China and Cuba.
The Western countries have placed their support behind the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó.
The US Embassy here also released the text of a declaration “by several members of the Lima Group, the International Contact Group, the European Union, the United States, and other,” indicating that they were calling on all Venezuelans, “of all ideological tendencies and party affiliations, whether civilian or military, to put the interests of Venezuela above politics and engage urgently in support of a process shaped and driven by Venezuelans to establish an inclusive transitional government that will lead the country into free and fair presidential elections, sooner not later.
“National Assembly elections alone do not present a political solution and instead may further polarize an already divided society,” they said, adding “we call upon all institutions of the Venezuelan State to participate in such a process.
“Venezuelans and the international community have put proposals on the table towards this goal. Such a process should include the ability of the National Assembly to fully carry out its functions and the restoration of the independence and of the Supreme Court and National Electoral Council. The discussions and progress made in the Norwegian-led talks in Barbados should also inform the way forward.
“We reiterate the willingness of all those countries maintaining economic sanctions to discuss sanctions relief in the context of political progress,” the statement added.

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