Lima Group Says Committed To Imposing More Sanctions On Venezuela

The Lima Group of countries seeking to settle the crisis in Venezuela said in a statement that its member states were committed to imposing further sanctions pressure on Caracas but excluded the use of power against the Venezuelan government

BRASILIA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2019) The Lima Group of countries seeking to settle the crisis in Venezuela said in a statement that its member states were committed to imposing further sanctions pressure on Caracas but excluded the use of power against the Venezuelan government.

"The countries are committed to taking additional pressure measures, excluding the use of force, toward the government of [President Nicolas] Maduro through sanctions that will help ensure progress in achieving democracy," the statement, published on the Colombian Foreign Ministry's website on Friday, showed.

The group members also expressed readiness to convene an international conference on the situation in Venezuela with the support from the Inter-American Development Bank within the framework of its session that will be held in March 2020 in Colombia.

The statement was endorsed by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and representatives of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The situation in Venezuela worsened last January when Guaido proclaimed himself an interim president after months of anti-government protests. Though some countries endorsed his self-imposed status, some states, including Russia and China, supported Maduro.

Multiple rounds of restrictions have been since been imposed on Venezuela by countries that oppose Maduro.

The Lima Group was created in 2017. It Includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Guyana and Saint Lucia.