Members states of the Organization of American States (OAS) have once again failed to reach consensus to “take action on Venezuela,” which Caracas regards as interference in its internal affairs.
At a July 26 meeting of the OAS Permanent Council in Washington, 13 countries read a declaration calling on the Venezuelan government to abandon the July 30 Constituent Assembly elections.
That was two fewer member states than supported a similar resolution at the OAS foreign ministers' meeting on June 19, and five short of the number needed to pass a resolution.
Lacking sufficient support, the sponsors of the latest declaration, including OAS General Secretary General Luis Almagro, the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, declined to put it to a vote.
OAS member states have already debated the situation in Venezuela various times. But Almagro and the group of countries pushing for action against Venezuela have never managed to secure a majority to condemn the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
Instead, other member states have insisted on domestic solutions and national dialogue.
During the Permanent Council meeting, Dominican Republic representative Gedeon Santos said the situation in the country “can only be resolved through dialogue and consensus-building among the parties, with full respect for sovereignty and self-determination.”
Caracas has repeatedly accused the OAS and Almagro of promoting intervention and destabilisation in Venezuela, with tensions hitting a boiling point in April when Venezuela began the process of leaving the organisation.
The US has led the charge for increased intervention in Venezuela, including threatening various OAS members like El Salvador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic with diplomatic and financial action if they voted in favour of non-interference and respect for Venezuela's sovereignty.
[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]
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