Mottley to UN: Support Venezuelan dialogue

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has made an emphatic call at the United Nations to support dialogue on Venezuela’s political troubles and oppose war threats.

Said the premier: “The Venezuelan people must be allowed to decide on their future according to the principles of the United Nations Charter, principles of non intervention and non-interference, prohibition of the threat or the use of force, and respect for the rule of law, human rights and democracy,”

Mottley summoned world leaders to stop “turning a blind eye to humanity”. She also condemned other multilateral organisations for not following their own charters and praised the UN for its stance on not recognising an unelected figure as Venezuelan leader, in an apparent reference to opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Regarding the dialogue process between Venezuelan parties that Barbados hosted in collaboration with Norway, the Prime Minister said she regretted the interruption of the August talks and highlighted the importance of dialogue to achieve a solution, not only for Venezuela but also for whole the Caribbean to remain as a zone of peace.

She said: “We regret that the talks have broken down. And we remind people that dialogue remains critical if there is to be a meaningful outcome and benefits for the Venezuelan people and its neighbours.

“Not just its neighbours on the Latin American continent, but its neighbours on the Caribbean Sea, because people forget that Trinidad and Tobago is less than seven miles from the coast of Venezuela.

“Our Caribbean Sea must remain a zone of peace, and for that, we shall fight.”

The Prime Minister reminded the world community that the UN Charter itself constitutes an invitation to guarantee the rights of Latin American and Caribbean peoples.

“The Charter that created this institution promises us that the values of each would be respected. Well, isn’t the first value the right to life?” she said.

Mottley then referred to the recent activation of Article III of the Helms-Burton Act, a unilateral US economic warfare tool which imposes new restrictions on Cuba and further exacerbates its people’s difficult situation.