Mercosur's parliament slams interference in Venezuela
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, August 22, 2017
MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The parliament of the sub-regional South American trade bloc Mercosur on Monday condemned interference in Venezuela's domestic affairs.
The parliament, also known as Parlasur, is composed of 81 lawmakers from the bloc members -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
It said in a statement that it rejects "any option that infringes on the self-determination and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people."
"Any threat against the sovereignty of Venezuela or any other Latin American country is unacceptable," Parlasur said during its 49th plenary session at its permanent headquarters in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, adding that it rejected any use of force to resolve Venezuela's political crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 11 that he would not rule out a "military option" in Venezuela at his golf club retreat in New Jersey, in the Northeastern United States.
Trump's remarks came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas over Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly (ANC) which was formed after an election on July 30.
The 545-member assembly, which has the rights to amend the constitution and reorganize the government, "aims to repair the malfunction" plaguing the country's governing system, said Delcy Rodriguez, the recently elected president of the new legislative body.
The ANC has supreme power over all government branches, including the National Assembly, or Congress, which was under the opposition's control.
"It is only up to the Venezuelan people, through dialogue and peace, in accordance with the constitution, to find the solution to their problems," Parlasur said in the statement.
Mercosur was founded in 1991. Venezuela received an associate member status in 2004 and became a full member in 2012. However, its membership was suspended by the bloc in December due to disputes over human rights. Enditem
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)