CARICOM: Regional countries divided again on OAS resolution on Venezuela

The division within the Caribbean community (CARICOM) on the Venezuelan crisis at the Organization of American States (OAS) surfaced for the 2nd time within 3 months, when the 4 countries, whose leaders met with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, voted in favor of an OAS resolution further critical of the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

The Bahamas, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia voted in favor of the resolution that said Venezuela’s closure of its borders with Brazil and Colombia has, “in fact, prevented the population, especially the most vulnerable, from obtaining food, medicines, medical treatment, and educational opportunities.”

Only the leader of Guyana was absent from the meeting with Trump at his private residence in Miami last week Friday.

Antigua & Barbuda, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines voted against the resolution adopted by the Permanent Council of the OAS on Wednesday, while Barbados, Belize, St. Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago abstained. Dominica and Grenada were absent at the time of the vote.

The OAS said that 19 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 5 against it, 8 abstained, and 2 were absent.

The other countries that voted in favor of the resolution titled “Humanitarian Assistance to Venezuela” included Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Dominican Republic. Nicaragua and Venezuela also voted against the resolution, and Bolivia, El Salvador and Mexico abstained.

This is the 2nd time CARICOM countries have remained divided at the OAS on the issue of Venezuela where the United States and its allies are pushing to remove President Maduro out of office in favor of the Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, who has since declared himself as the interim president of Venezuela.

In January, the OAS passed a resolution to not recognize Maduro with 19 votes in favor, 6 against, 8 abstentions and 1 absent. Jamaica, Haiti, The Bahamas, Guyana, and St. Lucia supported the resolution, while Dominica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Suriname voted against it.

St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, and Belize abstained during the vote, while Grenada was not present.

But since then CARICOM had adopted a united position on the matter and last month, the regional leaders at their inter-sessional summit in St. Kitts & Nevis reiterated their position of non-interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela and said they were prepared to mediate in the process to bring about a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

CARICOM foreign ministers have since met with Guaidó in furtherance of their position.

According to the new OAS resolution, countries were being urged to support “competent international organisations to continue providing support and implementing measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela”.

It also called on the Venezuelan public institutions, especially the military and police establishments, “to refrain from blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into Venezuela, duly respecting the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and operational independence of humanitarian assistance, as well as respect for human rights”.

The resolution notes “that Venezuela’s closure of its borders with Brazil and Colombia has, in fact, prevented the population, especially the most vulnerable, from obtaining food, medicines, medical treatment, and educational opportunities”.

In addition, the resolution expresses concern over the collapse of Venezuela’s health care system, “which has led to the reappearance of infectious diseases previously eradicated in Venezuela, as well as in bordering countries and in the region”.

Political analysts say Trump is using the division within the regional integration grouping to further drive a wedge among them on the issue, and used last Friday’s meeting as a subterfuge to further intervene in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

Meantime, the OAS’s general secretariat has rejected what it described as “the uninformed comments of government spokespeople of the Russian Federation, who maliciously disqualify this organization in order to justify the recent Russian military incursion into Venezuelan territory. -(CMC)