Secretary Pompeo Delivers Remarks at the Organization of American States Headquarters 
 
国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥
在美洲国家组织发表讲话
华盛顿哥伦比亚特区（Washington, DC）
2019年1月24日
 
国务卿蓬佩奥：多谢诸位。美国是委内瑞拉的朋友，是委内瑞拉人民的朋友。我们目睹了委内瑞拉人长期以来受尽的苦难。我们了解他们的处境。现在已经下台的马杜罗（Maduro）专制暴政让这个国家及其人民处于窒息状态，久历艰辛，苦不堪言。
昨天，美国与委内瑞拉人民站在一起，出于对委内瑞拉民主的尊重，欣然承认国民议会（National Assembly）议长胡安•瓜伊多（Juan Guaidó）为委内瑞拉临时总统。诸位已经看到特朗普总统（President Trump）和我为此发表的声明。
其他诸多国家，包括美洲国家组织的成员也已经承认现任临时总统。我们感谢这些国家的支持。
现在，美洲国家组织作为一个整体应该采取同样的行动。美洲国家组织的所有成员国都必须站在民主的立场上并尊重法治。所有承诺坚持《美洲民主宪章》（Inter-American Democratic Charter）的成员国现在都必须承认瓜伊多为临时总统。
辩论的过程已经结束。前总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗（Nicolas Maduro）的政权属于非法政权。他的政权道德败坏，经济衰退，腐败成风，丝毫不讲民主。我重申：前总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗的政权属于非法政权。为此，我们视其所有的宣言和行动都是非法和无效的。
考虑到上述事实，我们呼吁委内瑞拉安全部队保证为临时总统瓜伊多的人身安全提供保护。我们获悉昨天有一些示威民众被杀害，100多人被逮捕。为此，我重申我们发出的警告，马杜罗政权的残余势力不得采取暴力镇压和平的民主过渡。
美国并非在一朝一夕之间达成这样的结论。我们经过了长时期的考虑，经过了艰难的体验，对各种事实进行了审慎的评估，才得出这样的结论。我们并不孤单。美洲国家组织大会（OAS General Assembly）也对这些事实表示同意。去年6月，美洲国家组织大会宣布前总统马杜罗的重新当选是一场无效的骗局。今年1月10日，美洲国家组织永久委员会（OAS Permanent Council）宣布前总统马杜罗的第二届任期为非法。
委内瑞拉国民议会成为该国通过正当程序民主选出的唯一合法的部门。 1月23日，根据委内瑞拉宪法第333和350款，国民议会议长胡安•瓜伊多宣布担任委内瑞拉临时总统。他宣布的决定获得国民议会的一致支持，最重要的是获得委内瑞拉人民的支持。
临时总统瓜伊多在公开演讲中还阐述了他为恢复国家民主采取的步骤，包括自由、公正、透明和真正的民主选举。
美国坚定地站在他一边。我们随时准备支持国民议会、委内瑞拉人民和临时总统为委内瑞拉恢复民主和尊重法治进行的努力。
我们也随时准备在一旦实际可行时，向委内瑞拉人民提供人道援助。今天我宣布，美国已准备好向委内瑞拉人民提供2,000万美元以上的人道援助。这些资金将用于帮助委内瑞拉人民应对严重的食品和医药短缺，以及国家政治和经济危机带来的其他严重影响。我们作出这一援助宣布是根据临时总统领导下的国民议会的请求。
作为委内瑞拉人民的朋友，我们随时准备向他们提供更多帮助，协助他们开始重建被可耻无能的非法马杜罗政权所摧毁的国家和经济。
我们对委内瑞拉民主希望和梦想的支持与世界一些急于力挺前总统马杜罗的专制政权的做法形成鲜明对比。哈瓦那（Havana）政权对马杜罗独裁统治的扶持怂恿首屈一指。马杜罗政权多年来靠从古巴输入安全情报官员来维持其非法统治。他们向委内瑞拉警察传授施行酷刑、镇压和控制公民的阴险技巧。马杜罗是古巴压制研究院的好学生。
我们呼吁美洲国家组织及其所有成员国，本着基本的正当和民主原则以及无可非议的实地事实采取行动。
我们每个国家——我们每个国家——都必须像《美洲民主宪章》所表述的那样，响应促进和捍卫民主的召唤；在座各位都是宪章签署国。
我们也呼吁我们的所有伙伴和负责任的美洲国家组织成员国拿出领导力量，承诺支持委内瑞拉的民主过渡以及临时总统瓜伊多在其中的关键角色。
我们期待迎接委内瑞拉重新返回负责任的民主国家的行列，并继续成为我们美洲国家社会的一员。我们期待尽早迎接委内瑞拉临时政府的美洲国家组织代表。我们期待与所有负责任的美洲国家组织成员国、委内瑞拉人民、我们的美洲间体系以及瓜伊多总统的临时政府一道努力，在委内瑞拉恢复民主。
我们——我们每个国家——具有一个重要机会，帮助委内瑞拉人民重新过自由生活。我请求我们的同事们再次召开外长会议，就委内瑞拉的和平民主过渡继续我们的对话。历史将记住我们是否向他们伸出援手。美国呼吁所有美洲国家组织成员作出正确决定，并且现在就作出这一正确决定。
谢谢各位。

Remarks
Michael R. PompeoSecretary of StateOrganization of American StatesWashington, DCJanuary 24, 2019
SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you very much. The United States is a friend of Venezuela and of the Venezuelan people. We have watched Venezuelans suffer for far too long. We know what they know, that the tyranny of the now defunct Maduro regime has far too long – for far too long choked the country and its citizens.Yesterday, in solidarity with the Venezuelan people, and out of respect for Venezuelan democracy, the United States proudly recognized National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela. You’ve seen the statements from President Trump and from myself.
Many other countries, including a number of OAS states, have also recognized the interim president. We thank them for their support.
It’s now time for the OAS as an institution as a whole to do the same. All OAS member states must align themselves with democracy and respect for the rule of law. All member states who have committed to uphold the Inter-American Democratic Charter must now recognize the interim president.
The time for debate is done. The regime of former president Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate. His regime is morally bankrupt, it’s economically incompetent, and it is profoundly corrupt. It is undemocratic to the core. I repeat: The regime of former president Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate. We, therefore, consider all of its declarations and actions illegitimate and invalid.
In light of these facts, we call on Venezuelan security forces to ensure the protection of interim President Guaido’s physical integrity and his safety. We’ve seen reports that a number of protesters were killed yesterday and that more than one hundred were arrested, so I reiterate our warning about any decision by remnant elements of the Maduro regime to use violence to repress the peaceful democratic transition.
The United States did not arrive at this conclusion overnight. We came to this conclusion after a long and bitter experience and following a considered assessment of the facts. And we’re not alone. The OAS General Assembly has itself agreed to these facts. In June of last year, the OAS General Assembly declared the re-election of former president Maduro an invalid sham. This past January 10th, the OAS Permanent Council declared former president Maduro’s second term illegitimate.
Venezuela’s National Assembly became the only legitimate, duly and democratically elected body in the country. On January 23rd, National Assembly President Juan Guaido declared himself the interim president of Venezuela, pursuant to Article 333 and 350 of Venezuela’s constitution. He made this declaration with the full support of the National Assembly and, most importantly, of the Venezuelan people.
In his public address, interim President Guaido also outlined the steps he plans to take to restore democracy to his country, including free, fair, transparent, and truly democratic elections.
The United States stands solidly behind him. We stand ready to support the efforts of the National Assembly, the Venezuelan people, and the interim president to restore democracy and respect for the rule of law in Venezuela.
We also stand ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela as soon as logistically possible. Today, I am announcing that the United States is ready to provide more than $20 million in humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela. These funds are to help them cope with the severe food and medicine shortages and other dire impacts of their country’s political and economic crisis. Our announcement of aid is in response to a request from the National Assembly, led by the interim president.
As a friend of the Venezuelan people, we stand ready to help them even more, to help them begin the process of rebuilding their country and their economy from the destruction wrought by the criminally incompetent and illegitimate Maduro regime.
Our support for Venezuela’s democratic hopes and dreams is in sharp contrast to the authoritarian regimes across the globe who have lined up to prop up former President Maduro. And there is no regime which has aided and abetted Maduro’s tyranny like the one in Havana. Maduro’s illegitimate rule was for years sustained by an influx of Cuban security and intelligence officials. They schooled Venezuela’s secret police in the dark arts of torture, repression, and citizen control. Maduro was a fine student at the Cuban academy of oppression.
We call on the OAS and all its member states to act on basic, decent, democratic principles and the incontrovertible facts on the ground.
Each of us – each of us – must live up to our calling to promote and defend democracy, as expressed in the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, to which everyone in this chamber is a signatory.
And we call on all our partners and responsible OAS member states to show leadership and pledge support for Venezuela’s democratic transition and for interim President Guaido’s pivotal role in that.
We look forward to welcoming Venezuela back into the fold of responsible democratic nations and remaining in our inter-American community. We look forward to welcoming representation of the interim Venezuelan Government to the OAS at the earliest possible opportunity. And we look forward to working with all responsible OAS member states, with the Venezuelan people, our inter-American system, and with the interim government of President Guaido to restore democracy in Venezuela.
We – we each – have a critical opportunity to help the Venezuelan people live free once again. I ask my colleagues to reconvene a meeting of foreign ministers to continue our conversation on the peaceful democratic transition for Venezuela. History will remember whether we help them or not. The United States calls on all nations of the OAS to make the right choice and make that right choice right now. Thank you.