Former Head Of OAS Says Lima Group Cannot Make Decisions On Use Of Force In Venezuela

Umer Jamshaid Published February 28, 2019 | 03:24 PM

Jose Miguel Insulza, former head of the Organization of American States (OAS), questioned the powers of the Lima Group in an interview with Sputnik, stressing that the institution could not actually make decisions on use of force in Venezuela, since it was a voluntary group with no official statute

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2019) Jose Miguel Insulza, former head of the Organization of American States (OAS), questioned the powers of the Lima Group in an interview with Sputnik, stressing that the institution could not actually make decisions on use of force in Venezuela, since it was a voluntary group with no official statute.

The Lima Group, in which the majority of members are backing Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, said, earlier in the week, that the transition to "democracy" must be performed by Venezuelans themselves without the use of force and in line with the country's constitution.

"Anyone who wants can call a group of states and give it a name. The point is that the Lima Group is a voluntary council of countries and has no statute. This is why it cannot make decisions on use of force," Insulza, a Chilean lawmaker who also served as the country's foreign minister between 1994 and 1999, said.

Venezuela is currently going through a political crisis.

On January 5, Guaido was elected as the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which all other government branches have been refusing to recognize since 2016.

On January 23, two days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled his election, Guaido declared himself the country's "interim president." Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in for his second presidential term on January 10 after winning the May election, which part of the opposition boycotted, called Guaido's move an attempt to stage a coup orchestrated by Washington.

The United States immediately recognized Guaido, and around 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other countries have meanwhile voiced their support for the legitimate government of Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay have refused to recognize Guaido, declaring themselves neutral and promoting crisis settlement via dialogue.