BASSETERRE, St. Kitts--Caribbean Community CARICOM heads of government have called on Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro Lemes to publicly clarify his “unilateral” position on the present ongoing political imbroglio in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
In a letter written to Lemes dated January 31, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, Dr. Timothy Harris made known the position of the small regional bloc.
“Heads of government mandated me as chairman of the conference to write to you to express our disapproval and grave concern with regard to the position that you, in your capacity as secretary-general, have adopted, by recognising the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó as interim President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Dr. Harris wrote to the OAS secretary-general, while adding that it was not the first time that the secretary-general had taken such a “unilateral” position.
“This action on your part, without the authority of the Member States of the Organization of American States, is considered inappropriate.”
The letter went on further to state: “The heads of government consider it imperative that you publicly clarify that you did not speak on behalf of all Member States of the Organization of American States. We are aware that this is not the only occasion on which you have made public utterances in the name of the Organization without authority. This unilateral action by a head of an international organization, whose membership comprises sovereign states, is a clear departure from normal practice and cause for great concern.”
Lemes is a Uruguayan lawyer, diplomat and politician, who has been Secretary-General of the OAS since May 25, 2015. He is currently serving as the 10th Secretary-General of the OAS.
On January 24, heads of government of CARICOM held a special Emergency Meeting to discuss the political crisis in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The meeting was attended by heads of government of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and foreign ministers of Grenada and Suriname.
Coming out of that meeting, it was decided that CARICOM Chairman Dr. Harris would lead a delegation to the United Nations (UN) to have an audience with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which was had.
The CARICOM delegation to the UN led by Dr. Harris comprised Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, Peter David, Foreign Minister of Grenada, Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Secretary-General, as well as the permanent representatives of these countries. In “shuttle diplomacy” engagements, the delegation also met with President of the UN General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés and with the Permanent Representatives to the UN of Nicaragua, Australia, Uruguay, Brazil and South Africa.
Following those diplomatic engagements, CARICOM issued a statement saying, “The prime ministers, along with the entire delegation, reaffirmed the guiding principles of non-interference and non-intervention. They called on states to refrain from threat or the use of force, and for respect for sovereignty and adherence to the rule of law. The prime ministers underlined that it is never too late for dialogue and posited that there was clearly an urgent need for contending parties in Venezuela to come together to find a peaceful solution. The Community restated its willingness to provide its good offices and to work with like-minded countries to this end. In this regard, it welcomed the initiative of Mexico and Uruguay seeking to facilitate a dialogue among the parties.”
Since then, CARICOM heads of government held a second emergency meeting via videoconference, on the ongoing political entanglement in Venezuela, on February 1, which was chaired by Prime Minister Harris from Government Headquarters in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
CARICOM Chairman Dr. Harris is set to lead a delegation to an international conference in Uruguay, which will convene in the capital of Montevideo, on February 7, to further try to broker peaceful negotiations and find resolution of the political conflict in the oil-rich South American country which borders Colombia, Guyana and Brazil, and is a stone’s throw away from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Opposition Leader and President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Guaidó (35) declared himself interim head of state and has called for fresh elections, claiming that President Nicolás Maduro Moros is illegitimate President of Venezuela because of alleged irregularities including vote rigging in the General Elections of 2018.
President Maduro was sworn in before the Supreme Court of Justice TSJ to begin a six-year term on January 10, with delegations from 94 countries in attendance. Since his inauguration, there have been mass demonstrations in the country led by Guaidó and Maduro. Countries including the US, France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and several Latin American countries have thrown their support behind Guaidó. Other countries including China, Russia and Cuba have remained steadfast with President Maduro.
