The Argentine government withdraws from the Lima Group
Argentina decides to leave the Lima Group, which was formed in 2017 by 16 countries in the region to confront the regime of Nicolás Maduro. The signatory states were Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, then joined by Guyana, Haiti, Saint Lucia and Bolivia after the departure of Evo Morales from power, but now with the new government of Luis Arce, they have decided to resume diplomatic relations with the Chavista regime. President Fernández takes this decision after declaring "isolating the Venezuelan government has led to nothing", with this determination he decides to put an end to the isolationist policy of former President Mauricio Macri, who was one of the great allies of opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
Recall that the Lima Group was founded with the purpose of seeking a peaceful solution to the Venezuelan crisis, among its demands are the release of political prisoners, holding legal and verifiable presidential elections, offering humanitarian aid, providing solutions to Venezuelan migrants in these Latin American countries. In the last meetings of the Lima Group, the Argentine delegation was very ambiguous about its role within the organisation, since in the resolutions adopted or communiqués issued, the signature of the South American country did not appear anywhere.
"Once again, we reiterate that the best way to help Venezuelans is to facilitate an inclusive dialogue that does not favour any particular sector, but rather to achieve elections accepted by the majority with international control," they said in a press release published on the website of the Argentine Foreign Ministry. Elisa Trotta Gamus who was ambassador of Juan Guaidó's government in Argentina, rejected the decision of the Casa Rosada, through a tweet, "we regret the decision of the Argentine government to leave the Lima Group, which since 2017 has been fundamental to denounce the serious violations of human rights in Venezuela, and to work on the only real solution, which is to restore democracy in our country".
This change of position by the Argentine government comes after the official visit of President Alberto Fernández to Mexico, where he was received by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who during his years in office has refused to sign the resolutions of the Lima Group. Mexico as well as Argentina joined the Lima Group with their past administrations; former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto considered this group of countries a real possibility to reach a political solution in Venezuela. Both countries consider that issuing sanctions against the Maduro regime is not a cost-effective solution, and that a negotiation process with the regime is needed to agree on an electoral process.
Currently the negotiation processes between the regime and Juan Guaidó's team are suspended, after the Chavista delegation composed of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and his brother former Minister of Communication Jorge Rodríguez left the negotiating table. The International Contact Group, a mechanism created by European countries to mediate during the political crisis in Venezuela, is holding rounds of talks with both parties in order to reach an agreement, which would seek the holding of presidential elections, with electoral observers and the empowerment of all opposition political parties.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry in the press release also considers that the sanctions issued against Venezuela have worsened the economic situation in the Caribbean country: "In a context in which the pandemic has wreaked havoc in the region, the sanctions and blockades imposed on Venezuela and its authorities, as well as the destabilisation attempts that occurred in 2020, have only aggravated the situation of its population and, in particular, that of its most vulnerable sectors. It is important to note that sanctions have affected the enjoyment of human rights of the Venezuelan population, according to the report of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights".
Latin America Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.
