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> Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, speaks with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez during a meeting in Moscow on March 1, 2019

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Buenos Aires (AFP)

The Lima Group condemned Tuesday the presence of Russian military planes in Venezuela as a provocation threatening regional peace.

The 13 Latin American states and Canada said they were concerned "over the arrival of two Russian military aircraft" in Venezuela and condemned "any provocation or military deployment that threatens peace and security in the region."

The statement was issued by the foreign ministry of group member Argentina.

The body, set up in 2017 to advocate for a regional solution to Venezuela's political and economic crisis, also renewed a call to nations that still maintain friendly ties with "the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro" to help search for a democratic solution.

Russia, which recognizes Maduro as leader, sent two planes carrying 100 troops and tons of military equipment to Caracas on Saturday.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido charged that the deployment violates the constitution of the troubled South American country.

Russia's foreign ministry said the deployment was "in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms."

The Lima Group -- comprising Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Santa Lucia -- all recognize Guaido as interim president.

? 2019 AFP </s> MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2019) The ministers of foreign affairs of the Lima Group will hold the 15th meeting in the Argentinean capital on July 23.

The meeting will be focus on the situation in Venezuela and will be attended by representatives of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Peru, Canada, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Saint Lucia, as well as observers from Ecuador and, for the first time, El Salvador.

Colombia is expected to propose additional sanctions against Venezuela, as announced by Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo last week.

The Lima Group was created in 2017 to attempt settling the crisis in Venezuela. The group includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia. Most member states back opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, who is opposed by the incumbent president, Nicolas Maduro. </s> The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned three governors of four Venezuelan states who are aligned with embattled President Nicolás Maduro. Those states are active in blocking humanitarian aid into the country.

“The United States does not like to use military force unless it is absolutely necessary. But military force is being used in Venezuela today,” former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Otto Reich, told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. “The Venezuelans are hungry and they are sick because of the policies of that government, which has become a military government.”

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Bogota, Colombia where he met with Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó to discuss a possible use of military force to oust the country's disputed president.

Former Ambassador Reich said that the vice president will be meeting with the Lima Group, a multilateral body with representatives from 12 countries, to discuss what’s next for Venezuela.

“They’re all in agreement that the government of Venezuela, under Maduro, ended on the 10th of January, according to their own constitution. So Maduro is presiding over an illegitimate government.”

Reich added that the Secretary General of the Organization of American States has said Venezuela is under military occupation by a foreign country, Cuba.

“It’s the Cubans that are managing the repression in Venezuela. They’re giving the orders,” he said on “Varney & Co.” on Monday.

At least five people are dead after violent clashes on the border between Venezuela and Colombia after the Venezuelan military blocked aid from crossing into the country.

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Hundreds of people were injured when after Venezuela's National Guard fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters over the weekend, according to Colombia's Foreign Minister.

Pence told the Lima Group the United States will continue to stand with Guaidó until “freedom is restored” in Venezuela. </s> 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> LIMA, Peru (AP) - The Latest on a regional meeting about Venezuela's political crisis. (all times local):

A dozen Latin American governments have urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term next week and cede power until new elections can be held. They say it is the only way to restore democracy in the South American nation.

The strong rebuke came following a meeting Friday of high-ranking diplomats from the 12 regional governments and Canada in Peru's capital to discuss Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in Jan. 10 for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate.

Mexico also partook in the meeting of the so-called Lima Group but didn't sign the statement.

The group also called for a toughening of sanctions against Maduro's government and expressed support for efforts to initiate proceedings against his government at the International Criminal Court.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, right, and Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie, left, attend a meeting of the Lima Group concerning Venezuela in Lima, Peru, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. A coalition of international leaders gather in Lima to define a strategy for resolving Venezuela's growing crisis ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration to a second term, which is widely dismissed as illegitimate. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Maduro has disavowed the group's recommendations in the past and his foreign minister on Friday accused the countries of taking orders from U.S. President Donald Trump. </s> "We are indeed calling on the military of Venezuela as we call on all Venezuelans and as we call on all governments of the world to recognize Juan Guaido as interim President of Venezuela," Freeland said on Monday after a meeting of the Lima Group in Ottawa on the political crisis in Venezuela.

Freeland added that Canada "absolutely" rules out military intervention in Venezuela.

"I read point 17 of our declaration, which talks about the importance of a process of political transition using political and diplomatic means without the use of force or coercion," Freeland told reporters on Monday. "Canada absolutely rules out military intervention."

Freeland also said that the Lima Group has welcomed Venezuela’s interim government as full member of the bloc.

"We are delighted that the National Assembly and the interim President Juan Guaido on behalf of the Venezuelan people have asked to become members of the Lima Group," Freeland said on Monday. "Today we have taken the important step of welcoming the interim government of Venezuela as a full member of the Lima Group."

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the members of the Lima Group will hold their next meeting in Colombia in near future.

"The work of the Lima Group has intensified, and we agreed that we will meet again soon — this time hosted by our friends from Colombia," Freeland told reporters on Monday.

The members of the Lima Group and representatives of Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido discussed efforts to rebuild and restore the country’s economy, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said.

"We did devote a considerable amount of our time today to talking about how the Lima Group and the international community more broadly can support the eventual rebuilding and reconstruction of Venezuela," Freeland told reporters on Monday. "We heard from economic experts, we also heard from representatives of interim President Juan Guaido about the very advanced plans which the opposition has."

READ MORE: Venezuelan Opposition Plans to Host Humanitarian Aid Conference in US

On January 23, the leader of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, proclaimed himself an interim president of Venezuela after he contested the results of the election last year in which Maduro was re-elected for a second term.

Canada, the United States and many of their allies, particularly European Union members, have voiced support and recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.

However, a diplomatic source in Brussels told Sputnik on Monday that Italy had blocked an EU joint statement recognizing Guaido.

Russia, China, Mexico and several other countries have said that Maduro is the legitimate president of Venezuela and demanded that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuela's internal affairs. </s> The Lima Group on Tuesday said Venezuela's political crisis threatened regional peace and international security, and urged the global community to make a "huge effort to re-establish" democracy in the South American country.

The group of a dozen Latin American countries and Canada helping to mediate the Venezuelan crisis urged the world to push Caracas to hold new presidential elections -- a move socialist leader Nicolas Maduro has refused to consider.

Venezuela was thrust into a political impasse six months ago when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself acting president after branding Maduro a "usurper" because of his "fraudulent" 2018 re-election.

Government-opposition talks are stalled as Guaido, recognized by more than 50 countries, is demanding that Maduro step down and hold new elections.

"While a dictator is in power in Venezuela, all our democracies are more fragile," said Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie at the Lima Group meeting in Buenos Aires.

He said the Venezuelan crisis "threatens regional peace and security" as well as international security.

Most Lima Group members recognize Guaido, who participated by video link.

A quarter of Venezuela's 30 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations, while three million have left the country since early 2016.

Colombia has taken in 1.3 million Venezuelans while another 768,000 live in Peru.

Nestor Popolizio, Peru's foreign minister, asked for "urgent and concrete help in the form of international cooperation" to relieve the burden on countries hosting the migrants.

"The crisis is worsening and requires an urgent solution in the form of credible, transparent, free and fair elections," Popolizio said.

Separately, Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislature approved re-joining a regional defense treaty that could provide a legal framework for a foreign military intervention.

Venezuela withdrew from the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) -- a defense pact involving 17 countries including the United States -- seven years ago under the late president Hugo Chavez.

Guaido said that re-joining the treaty would let Venezuela establish "international alliances" to "protect and defend the people and Venezuelan sovereignty," but didn't mention foreign intervention.

The vote however does not necessarily mean Venezuela will be re-join the TIAR.

The National Assembly's decisions are routinely annulled by the Supreme Court, which is filled with Maduro loyalists, and the body has been effectively replaced by the staunchly pro-government Constituent Assembly. </s> Lima Group, without Mexico, urges Maduro to refrain from taking office next Thursday

Mexico’s new government on Friday called on its peers to refrain from interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, declining to back a regional declaration that urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office on Jan. 10.

Mexico was the sole country in the 14-member Lima Group that opted not to sign a statement critical of Maduro, the first time Mexico has not supported a declaration by the group since it was created in 2017 to push for democratic reforms in Venezuela.

Mexico was once among the most outspoken critics of Maduro. But ties with Venezuela have warmed under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who invited Maduro to his inauguration last month.

Maximiliano Reyes, Mexico’s deputy foreign minister responsible for Latin America, said following a Lima Group meeting in Peru that Mexico was concerned about the “situation regarding human rights” in Venezuela but would not comment on the legitimacy of its government.

Instead, he asked the Lima Group to rethink its approach.

“We call for reflection in the Lima Group about the consequences for Venezuelans of measures that seek to interfere in internal affairs,” Reyes said in a statement.

In the statement, the Lima Group urged Maduro to refrain from taking the presidential oath next Thursday and instead cede power to the opposition- controlled congress until new, fairer elections can be held.

Only through the full restoration, as soon as possible, of democracy and a respect for human rights is it possible to resolve the country's political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis, the diplomats said.

In a Friday evening state television broadcast, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Maduro would take office on Jan. 10 in a “legitimate and constitutional” process, which he said “does not require the approval of any foreign government.”

He said Venezuela was “perplexed” by the statement and that the country would take reciprocal action for diplomatic steps taken by any other government.

Reyes called for mediation and dialogue from the Lima Group, not isolation.

Mexico’s stance was a blow to regional efforts to ramp up pressure on Maduro ahead of his inauguration, which Venezuela’s opposition hoped would be a watershed moment to highlight how he has undermined democracy and mismanaged the OPEC member’s economy.

Peru said last month that it would propose ending diplomatic relations with Venezuela to Lima Group members. But no country has yet announced it would sever ties.

The 13 remaining countries in the Lima Group that signed Friday’s statement, which include Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, called Maduro’s new term “illegitimate” and urged him to hand power over to the National Assembly until democratic elections can be held.

They also said they would seek to bar high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering their territory or having access to their financial systems.
Through Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Faurie, the Lima Group say that "the use of force in Venezuela will be implemented when required".