MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the emergency situation in Venezuela
25.3.2019 - (2019/2628(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Javier Couso Permuy, João Pimenta Lopes, João Ferreira, Miguel Viegas, Sabine Lösing, Paloma López Bermejo, Marina Albiol Guzmán, Takis Hadjigeorgiou, Luke Ming Flanagan, Lola Sánchez Caldenteyon behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Chapter 1, Article 1(2) of the UN Charter of 1945, with its stated purpose ‘to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace’,
– having regard to Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which state that ‘all peoples have the right of self-determination’ and that ‘by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’,
– having regard to the principle of non-intervention laid down in the UN Charter,
– having regard to Chapter 1, Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which states that all UN members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations,
– having regard to further concerns over attempts to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in breach of the provisions of Chapter 1, Article 2(7) of the UN Charter,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the declaration of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the EU of 10 and 11 June 2015, in which the signatories reaffirmed their commitment to all the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and their support for all efforts to uphold the sovereign equality of all states and to respect their territorial integrity and political independence,
– having regard to the Venezuelan Constitution,
– having regard to the declaration of the Latin American Parliament, in particular, its rejection of any attempt at foreign intervention, direct or indirect, in the internal affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its calls for a constructive dialogue,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 10 January 2019, President Nicolás Maduro Moros legitimately and constitutionally assumed the Presidency of the Republic for the 2019–2025 term;
B. whereas the presidential elections were brought forward at the request of the opposition; whereas a political and electoral agreement drawn up in the Dominican Republic and moderated by former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was not signed by the opposition at the very last minute;
C. whereas the elections took place under equal, fair and transparent conditions, were supervised by a balanced National Electoral Council, and offered sufficient guarantees for all participants;
D. whereas 200 independent international observers, such as the former President of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Marcos Cipriani, and the former President of the French Senate, Jean-Pierre Bel, attended the Venezuelan elections by invitation of the relevant Venezuelan authorities;
E. whereas on 20 May 2018, Nicolás Maduro won the elections with 68 % of the votes;
F. whereas the unilateral recognition of Juan Guaidó by the US, some EU Member States and the Lima Group, not to mention threats of intervention and attempted coups, will serve only to inflame the situation further;
G. whereas so-called humanitarian aid is being exploited and used for political purposes; whereas humanitarian aid must be in line with the international principles of neutrality and independence;
H. whereas the current stalemate will only lead to more suffering for the people of Venezuela;
I. whereas there is an urgent need to overcome and negotiate a way out of the current situation in Venezuela by dialogue and peaceful means;
J. whereas the US is continually violating and disregarding the UN Charter, international law and, in particular, the principle of non-intervention;
K. whereas the US and EU have imposed sanctions on Venezuela;
1. Expresses its solidarity with the Venezuelan people; recalls that ‘all peoples have the right to self-determination’ and that ‘by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’; rejects all attacks on Venezuelan democracy and sovereignty;
2. Retains the conviction that the only way out of the current crisis is to invest in dialogue between the Venezuelan Government and the opposition, and that political dialogue remains the only path to peace in Venezuela and the surrounding region; supports all initiatives designed to achieve a political solution to the current situation among the Venezuelan people, including the Montevideo Mechanism, by means of a genuine and inclusive process of national dialogue;
3. Calls for the UN Charter, international law and the principles of non-intervention and multilateralism to be respected;
4. Urges the resolution of the current situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela through peaceful means, within the framework of its national Constitution, and with complete respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the right of its people to self-determination; welcomes the calls from the UN Secretary-General in this regard;
5. Strongly condemns the unilateral recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim president by the US, some EU Member States and the Lima Group;
6. Condemns the threats of intervention and attempted coups, which are completely unacceptable and will serve only to inflame the situation further;
7. Deplores the ongoing exploitation and use for political purposes of so-called humanitarian aid; recalls that humanitarian aid must be disbursed in accordance with the international principles of neutrality and independence;
8. Emphasises that the current stalemate is unsustainable and will only lead to more suffering for the people of Venezuela;
9. Expresses concern at the grave danger of civil war and its potential spillover into the rest of Latin America;
10. Calls for the US and EU to lift the economic and financial sanctions against Venezuela, which are exacerbating the difficulties that people are facing, and to respect international law and human rights;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Mercosur Parliament, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, and the Latin American regional bodies, including the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our Americas (ALBA) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).