OSAKA, Japan, June 29, 2019 /CNW/ - "The leaders of Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Chile, members of the Lima Group, reiterated their commitment to the peaceful restoration of constitutional democracy in Venezuela today in Osaka on the margins of the G20.

During their meeting, Lima Group leaders strongly condemned the repression and systematic violation of human rights of Venezuelans by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.

They urged the international community, the United Nations system, and its Secretary-General to strengthen measures to protect Venezuelans and alleviate the consequences of the humanitarian crisis, caused by the actions of the Maduro regime.

The leaders committed to working with the international community in redoubling efforts to resolve the crisis in Venezuela. They called upon those countries that still support the Maduro regime to consider the adverse impact that their support has on the Venezuelan people and throughout the region.

Finally, they called for a strengthened and unified international commitment to uphold the human rights of the Venezuelan people, including the freeing of all political prisoners; and pledged to work within the Lima Group and with all willing international partners towards a democratic and peaceful transition in Venezuela."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca </s> Canada will provide $53 million in aid to help those most affected by the Venezuelan crisis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday as he hosted a meeting of nearly dozen countries opposed to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“Today, Canada is stepping up and announcing $53 million to address the most pressing needs of Venezuelans on the ground, including the almost three million refugees,” Trudeau said in his opening remarks at at the John G. Diefenbaker Building in Ottawa.

“The bulk of the funds will go to trusted partners and neighbouring countries to help them support Venezuela and Venezuelans.”

Since the eruption of crisis in Venezuela in 2017, Canada has provided $2.2 million in humanitarian assistance to help the most vulnerable populations affected by the Venezuelan crisis, according to Global Affairs Canada.

With the additional $53 million announced by Trudeau Monday, Canada’s overall contribution to respond to the effects of the Venezuela crisis now stands at over $55 million.

Trudeau thanked foreign ministers from most of the Lima Group countries — Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia — for travelling to Ottawa to discuss their response to the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

Ecuador, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. have also joined the discussions in Ottawa.

Last week, as hundreds of thousands marched in capital Caracas to demand the end of Maduro’s socialist government, Canada joined the United States, the Organization of American States, and ten other Latin American states in recognizing Venezuela’s parliamentary speaker, Juan Guaido, as the country’s interim president.

Trudeau said he spoke with Guaido Sunday and was “pleased to convey Canada’s support personally.”

“This is a pivotal moment for the people of Venezuela: we are observing a widespread rejection of the Maduro regime’s illegitimate claim to power following fraudulent elections last May,” Trudeau said.

“For years now, we’ve witnessed the breakdown in democracy in Venezuela and a dictatorship willing to use force, fear and coercion to retain power. The violation of human rights and the complete disregard for the rule of law shown by the regime has been both inexcusable and unacceptable.”

Canada has not only called on Maduro to cede power to the “democratically elected” National Assembly but has also imposed sanctions on the socialist leader and his officials, Trudeau said.

“The use of excessive force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings – all have become staples of a dictatorship clinging to power at the expense of their people,” Trudeau said.

Guaido has given hope to countless people around the world, marking a turning point in the ongoing humanitarian, economic and political crisis that has plagued Venezuela for years, Trudeau said.

Venezuela now has “a legitimate interim president and a clear constitutional path forward to free and fair elections,” Trudeau said.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada and other countries that have recognized Guaido have to do everything in their power to assist him in a peaceful restoration of democracy.

“Together we stand on the side of human rights, on the side of democracy, on the side of a peaceful, democratic and constitutional transition in Venezuela,” Freeland said. “We have been clear that the peaceful restoration of democracy and the rebuilding of the country must be led and driven by Venezuelans.”

One notable exception among Lima Group nations that was absent from the ministerial level meeting in Ottawa was Mexico.

Mexico’s newly-elected president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had invited Maduro to attend his inauguration in Mexico City last December, is attempting a difficult diplomatic balancing act.

The left-leaning Mexican leader is trying to maintain a more or less neutral stand towards the political crisis in Venezuela and has refused to recognize Guaido or participate in international fora that support the self-proclaimed Venezuelan leader. On the other, hand Lopez Obrador, is careful not to alienate his largest trade partners the U.S. and Canada, that support Maduro’s ouster.

Maduro, however, has much more outspoken supporters with Russia, China, Turkey and Iran issuing statements of support for the socialist leader.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that actions by the U.S., Canada and other members of the so-called Lima Group “can only deepen the social divide in Venezuela, aggravate street protests, dramatically destabilise the Venezuelan political community and further escalate the conflict.” </s> Argentina, Brasil, Chile y Canadá difundieron desde la Cumbre del G20, reunida en Osaka, Japón, una declaración de condena contra el "régimen ilegítimo" de Nicolás Maduro y formularon un llamado a la comunidad internacional para que se garantice el respeto a los derechos humanos del pueblo venezolano.

El documento también se expide en favor de una solución de la crisis a través de "una transición democrática y pacífica", y reclama la liberación de todos los presos políticos, informa un comunicado de la Presidencia de la Nación.

La declaración de los cuatro países fue difundida al término de una reunión que mantuvieron en el Centro Internacional de Convenciones, de Osaka, sede de la Cumbre del G20, los presidentes Mauricio Macri y Sebastián Piñera, y el primer ministro de Canadá, Justin Trudeau. Fue firmada también por el presidente de Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, aunque no participó de la reunión.

En declaraciones a la prensa tras el encuentro, el presidente Macri advirtió que "más allá de la buena voluntad y las muestras de diálogo propuestas, Maduro aprovecha" esos intentos de mediación "para quedarse en el poder y así generar más pobreza, hambruna y corrupción".

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El texto completo

Declaración del Grupo Lima en Osaka



Los líderes de Argentina, Brasil, Canadá y Chile, miembros del Grupo Lima, comprometidos con el restablecimiento pacífico de la democracia constitucional en Venezuela, se reunieron hoy en Osaka en el marco del G20.

Durante la reunión, los líderes condenaron fuertemente la represión y la sistemática violación de los derechos humanos de los venezolanos por parte del régimen ilegítimo de Nicolás Maduro.

Instaron a la comunidad internacional, al sistema de las Naciones Unidas y su Secretaria General a fortalecer las medidas para proteger a los venezolanos y alivianar las consecuencias de la crisis humanitaria causada por las acciones del régimen de Nicolás Maduro.

Los líderes se comprometieron a trabajar con la comunidad internacional en redoblar los esfuerzos para resolver la crisis en Venezuela, cuyo impacto se está sintiendo en toda la región.

Finalmente, llamaron a un compromiso internacional fuerte y unificado para respaldar los derechos humanos del pueblo venezolano, incluyendo la liberación de todos los presos políticos; y se comprometieron a trabajar dentro del Grupo Lima, y con todos socios internacionales dispuestos, hacia una transición democrática y pacífica en Venezuela. </s> MENDOZA, Argentina (Reuters) - The members of South America's Mercosur trade bloc called for an end to violence in Venezuela in a joint statement on Friday, while Brazil and Argentina expressed wariness about following the United States in preparing possible economic sanctions.

Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay again called on Venezuela to release political prisoners and offered to facilitate talks between President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government and the opposition in the statement, issued as the nations met in Mendoza, Argentina to discuss trade and regional integration.

Associate Mercosur members Chile, Colombia and Guyana, as well as Mexico, also signed the statement, which called on both the government and the opposition to "not take any initiative that could divide Venezuelan society even more, or aggravate institutional conflicts."

The statement comes days after U.S. officials said they were preparing sanctions against Venezuelan government figures.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie told reporters Mercosur countries were hesitant to follow suit.

"None of us are willing to apply any sanctions that will affect, above all, the Venezuelan people," Faurie said.

Nunes said any Mercosur decision would be "autonomous" of U.S. action, and said interruptions of food shipments from Brazil to Venezuela could "aggravate the humanitarian crisis even more."

Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur last December amid concerns about human rights. Since then, four months of anti-government unrest has taken around 100 lives. On Friday, millions joined a 24-hour shutdown as part of a civil disobedience campaign against Maduro.

In April, Argentine President Mauricio Macri warned that Venezuela could be expelled from Mercosur if it did not change its behaviour.

The joint statement did not refer to Maduro's plan to hold a July 30 vote to elect a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the OPEC nation's constitution. Mexico on Thursday had called on Maduro to shelve the vote.

Bolivia, whose President Evo Morales is one of Maduro's few remaining allies in the region, is in the process of becoming a Mercosur member.

At the meeting, Mercosur members agreed to establish common legal conditions within the bloc to encourage investment and took steps to boost trade ties with the Pacific Alliance countries of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Mercosur is also eyeing a trade deal with the European Union, which Faurie said could be reached in December. </s> Canada has suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela because its diplomats will no longer be able to obtain visas.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement on Sunday that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's "regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela".

Canada is one of a dozen countries in the Lima Group regional bloc that recognises opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president and is demanding that Maduro resign.

"Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime and their visas will expire," Freeland said in the statement.

"Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately," she said.

Freeland said Canada was "also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada."

The Venezuelan foreign ministry has made no comment on the events.

Canada has been one of the countries at the forefront of international efforts to pressure Maduro to resign since he was reelected in a ballot widely criticised as a sham.

Under Maduro, Venezuela has slipped into an economic, political and humanitarian crises with inflation estimated to reach 10m percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Untied Nations figures say more than three million people have fled the country since the economic crisis began in 2014, amid food and medicine shortages and a sharp spike in crime.

More than 50 countries now recognise Guaido as oil-rich Venezuela's leader, however, Maduro's administration continues to control state institutions and enjoys the support of the country's powerful military.

Canada's suspension of embassy operations comes as Freeland and other Lima Group representatives are set to meet the International Contact Group on Venezuela (ICG) in New York on Monday to discuss the crises.

It is the first time the two groups - which were both formed to exert international pressure on Maduro - have met over Venezuela.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Portugal and Uruguay will represent the ICG, while Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio and Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, along with Freeland will represent the Lima Group.

Freeland said on Sunday that through the Lima Group, Canada will continue to advocate for democracy in Venezuela.

Monday's meeting follows the breakdown of talks between Venezuela's government and the country's opposition in Norway, which collapsed without an agreement on Thursday. </s> The Lima Group of Latin American countries on Friday urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate, and cede power until new elections can be held.

The bloc said in a statement that they would not recognize Maduro's socialist government after a meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss how to step up international pressure on the Maduro regime.

The meeting discussed Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in on January 10. Mexico also partook but didn't sign Friday's statement.

Maduro has presided over an financial crisis which has led to recession, hyperinflation and a collapsing economy, which have left the population with critical shortages of electricity, food and medicine, as well as a crumbling infrastructure.

Read more: What is going on in Venezuela?

What did the Lima Group decide?

The declaration signed on Friday states that the following measures have been agreed by the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia:
• Reevaluate the status or level of diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
• Prevent Venezuelan officials from entering the territory of the countries of the Lima Group.
• Urges other nations to support an International Criminal Court investigation into the commission of possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
• Calls on the international community to adopt similar measures.

At least 16 Latin American nations, as well as the United States, had warned Venezuela ahead of the May 2018 election that it would be seen as illegitimate by the region unless it restored democratic standards before the poll.

A joint declaration put out at the Summit of the Americas in Peru in April said the election would be "void of legitimacy and credibility" if it went ahead under current conditions.

The joint statement was signed by the 16-nation Lima Group, which includes Latin America's biggest economies of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The United States also signed the declaration.

The opposition in Venezuela said that President Nicolas Maduro has prepared a rigged snap election to deliver him a new mandate and tighten his hold over his economically devastated country.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela angrily rejected as a "coup" its suspension from South American economic bloc Mercosur on Friday, the harshest international punishment yet for President Nicolas Maduro's crisis-racked government.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced Venezuela was suspended from the group after accusations that the leftist government in Caracas failed to meet democratic and trade standards.

"This is a coup d'etat to Mercosur and constitutes a very grave attack on Venezuela," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told a press conference.

Earlier, she railed against the decision in a tweet storm, calling it a "null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying Mercosur."

Although Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012, the other members complain it has yet to ratify a number of rules governing trade, politics, democracy and human rights.

Venezuela's neighbors are also becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil exporter.

Maduro's critics blame him for an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting.

The opposition also accuses the deeply unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking its efforts to remove him constitutionally.

Venezuela has been hit hard by the plunge in global prices for its crucial crude oil exports since mid-2014, pummeling the government's socialist economic model.

Although not explicitly linked to the country's crisis, Mercosur's move Thursday represented the most significant gesture by a foreign entity against Maduro's leadership since the political crisis deepened this year.

Tension between Maduro's government and its Mercosur partners were exacerbated with the election of Mauricio Macri as president of Argentina in 2015 and the replacement of Brazil's impeached former president Dilma Rousseff with Michel Temer.

Both right-leaning leaders replaced leftist presidents. And both have attacked Maduro.

Macri has accused him of holding "political prisoners," while Temer has condemned the Venezuelan government as "authoritarian."

Macri and Temer's arrival marked a turning of the so-called "pink tide" of leftist leaders in Latin America that began in 1999 with the appearance of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez.

The region is undergoing a political shake-up as many countries -- including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela -- struggle with recessions.

Mercosur's founding members took over its rotating presidency in September to block Venezuela from the post.

But in a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it is still the group's president.

Rodriguez said Venezuela "will continue exercising the legitimate presidency (of Mercosur) and will participate with the right to speak and vote in all the meetings as a state party."

Argentina takes over the presidency in mid-December, which could give it a platform for further moves against Venezuela.

Rodriguez called on the people of the bloc's member countries to oppose what she described as the organization's hijacking by "intolerant bureaucrats" and "compromised officials with imperialist mandates."

Maduro has so far shown a steely determination to keep Venezuela in Mercosur whether its partners want it or not.

"If they kick us out the door," he has said, "we'll come back in through the window."

Beyond political embarrassment, Venezuela's suspension from the group cuts it out of free-trade agreements and will end the privileges its companies and citizens enjoyed in member countries.

Mercosur was founded in 1991 to promote economic integration among its members.

Venezuela was allowed to join as an act of solidarity among the left-wing governments in power at the time, said political analyst Gabriel Puricelli of Argentina.

But it never put in place the laws necessary to comply with Mercosur rules, he told AFP.

Now that right-wing governments are coming to power, "the political will has ceased to exist to keep (Venezuela) as a full member of the group despite the fact it is not complying with the norms," he said. </s> During the daily press briefing of the European Commission, a spokesperson for head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini said: “We must avoid military intervention." The spokesperson added the European Union wants a “peaceful and democratic solution in Venezuela, which obviously excludes the use of force”. This follows a warning from Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on Sunday, who insisted military intervention would not be welcomed.

He told the Efe Agency: “We categorically ruled out any support from the European Union or any acceptance of a military escalation in Venezuela. “We have warned clearly that we will not support and that we will strongly condemn any foreign military intervention.” This was a stance echoed by Brazil, which warned under no circumstances will it allow the United States to use its territory for a military operation into Venezuela. Brazilian Vice President Antonio Hamilton Mourao said the Lima Group, a bloc of nations from Argentina to Canada dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the Venezuela crisis, does not support military intervention.

He believes “it is necessary to look for other ways to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela”. Speaking to reporters during a meeting with the group in the Colombian capital Bogotá, Mr Mourao said: "No one in the Lima Group supports a military solution to the situation in Venezuela. "This requires the authorisation of the National Congress. The Brazilian government cannot do that without consultations with the Parliament. “The majority in the Government is against the use of Brazil’s territory by American troops.” On Sunday, violent clashes broke out on Venezuela’s border with Brazil in a row over foreign aid heading for the crisis-striken country, resulting in three people being shot dead and a further 300 injured.

Brazil branded violence used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government to block aid a “criminal act” and called on countries to join efforts to “liberate” the South American nation. Troops loyal to President Maduro had rejected supplies from Colombia on Saturday, using tear gas and rubber bullets to keep protestors at bay. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who most Western nations recognise as the country’s legitimate leader, said he would propose to the international community that all options remain open to oust President Maduro. He wrote on Twitter: "Today's events force me to make a decision: To formally propose to the International Community that we must have all options open to secure the freedom of our country, which fights and will keep fighting.” The US has imposed new sanctions on Mr Maduo and his Government, and called on allies to freeze the assets of its state-owned oil company PDVSA following the deadly violence at the weekend. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

The Mexican government says it disagrees with a map displayed by the White House that shows Mexico among those countries that support Venezuela's embattled president, Nicolas Maduro.

National security adviser John Bolton held a press briefing Monday with a map that showed in red the countries supporting Maduro and in blue those nations supporting the Venezuelan congress leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself Venezuela's interim president.

Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. told reporters in Washington that her government isn't taking sides in the crisis.

In Ambassador Martha Barcena's words: "We are not against the U.S. regarding the position on Venezuela. We are not siding with Maduro. We are not siding with Guaido. We think a third way of a peaceful solution can be found."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is calling potentially crippling U.S. sanctions against the troubled nation's state-owned oil company "criminal."

In remarks televised Monday on state TV, Maduro accuses the United States of robbing Venezuelans of oil riches that rightfully belong to them.

In a direct message to President Donald Trump spoken in broken English, Maduro says forcefully: "Hands off Venezuela!"

His increasingly isolated government would lose access to one of its most important sources of income and foreign currency along with $7 billion in assets under the U.S. sanctions.

The embattled leader is fighting for his political survival as a growing list of nations recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.

Maduro says he will be announcing a range of measures in response to the U.S. sanctions within the coming hours but has provided no details.

The White House is not elaborating on the phrase "5,000 troops to Colombia" that could be seen on a notepad held by national security adviser John Bolton at a news conference announcing new sanctions for Venezuela.

Asked to explain the words, the White House said in an email to The Associated Press that "as the President has said, all options are on the table." The statement did not say anything further about the note.

The phrase could be seen during a portion of a White House news conference Monday during which Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company. Colombia borders Venezuela and its government has sided with the U.S. in opposing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly said "all options" are under consideration as they seek to pressure Maduro to give up power. But there has not been any announcement of any direct U.S. military involvement in the situation.

A legal pad held by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton at a White House news conference on Venezuela contained the phrase "5,000 troops to Colombia."

Bolton held the legal pad so the phrase was showing during a portion of Monday's announcement that the U.S. was imposing sanctions on the Venezuelan state-owned oil company.

There was no mention during the news conference of any plans regarding troops in Colombia, which borders Venezuela. But an image was captured by a photographer from The Associated Press and other news outlets.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The Pentagon has not announced any plans to send U.S. forces to the South American nation.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is repeating his offer of "good offices" to facilitate dialogue and negotiations between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido (gwah-DOH).

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the U.N. chief reiterated the offer during a meeting Monday with a delegation from the Caribbean Community on the situation in Venezuela "and its implications for the region."

The delegation was led by Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris, who is chairman of CARICOM.

Barbados' ambassador to the United Nations spoke on behalf of CARICOM leaders at Saturday's meeting of the Security Council on Venezuela and reaffirmed the group's principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of states. Elizabeth Thompson said the leaders' view is that Venezuela's political crisis "can only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy."

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton says sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company will ensure the government of socialist President Nicholas Maduro can "no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people."

Bolton says he expects Monday's actions will block $7 billion in assets and cause more than $11 billion in lost export proceeds during the next year.

The U.S. and Venezuela broke relations last week after President Donald Trump recognized opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido (gwah-DOH) as the legitimate Venezuelan president.

The embattled Maduro still holds the reins in Venezuela, but the U.S. and allies are using economic and diplomatic pressure to push him out. Maduro is accusing the U.S. of openly leading a coup against him.

Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin briefed reporters at the White House.

Sen. Marco Rubio says the U.S. will hit Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to step down from office.

The Florida Republican and two people briefed on the administration's plans say Treasury will impose penalties as early as Monday on the company known by its acronym PDVSA. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. The two people briefed on the sanctions were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rubio praised the Trump administration for taking the action, which follows its earlier decision to recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.

Canada plans to host an emergency meeting of the 14-nation Lima Group next week to discuss options for the crisis in Venezuela.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday the meeting will be in Ottawa on Feb. 4.

The regional group was created in Lima, Peru, in 2017 to try to hope resolve the crisis in Venezuela and nearly all of the nations now have thrown their support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, deciding that last year's re-election of President Nicolas Maduro was invalid. Canada has been a key presence the effort to have Guaido recognized as president pending new elections.

Freeland says Venezuela has been a top foreign policy priority for Canada.

A Venezuelan diplomat in Miami says she's abandoned embattled President Nicolas Maduro, throwing her support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Consular officer Scarlet Salazar issued a videotaped statement Monday saying she's living up to her constitutional duty as a career diplomat.

Opposition lawmaker Guaido last week declared that he had assumed presidential powers and will hold fresh elections to restore democracy. The U.S. and several other countries have recognized him as interim president, though Maduro is recognized by most nations, as well as the country's military leadership.

Salazar says she's staying and will continue to perform her consular duties at the Miami office.
In Osaka, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada jointly issue a statement condemning the Venezuelan government. The statement's author, Argentine President Mauricio Macri, indicated that it was meant to "show that beyond good faith and dialogue, Maduro takes advantage of that to create more poverty, famine and corruption in Venezuela".