Rowley in Montevideo meetings over Venezuela

THE Prime Minister was part of a Caricom delegation in Uruguay that yesterday joined Mexico and Uruguay to launch an initiative called the Montevideo Mechanism to bring a peaceful resolution to Venezuela crisis.

Caricom will today meet a European Union (EU) delegation.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said the mechanism was a response to a call by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to find a pathway to a peaceful resolution through dialogue and respect for international law and human rights.

“The historical stance of the countries that have agreed to this approach, is and will always be, to advance diplomacy over other alternatives, as it is the only way to achieve sustainable, legitimate and effective peace and stability.

“This initiative is offered to all Venezuelan actors as a peaceful and democratic alternative.”

“The subscribers of this statement agree that the complexity of the circumstances should not be a reason to dismiss the diplomatic channels for dispute settlement, and reiterate its decision to help restore the tranquillity to the Venezuelan people, through dialogue and peace, reducing tensions between political forces and to avoid the threat or use of force.

The mechanism advocates a peaceful and democratic solution that prevents an escalation of violence. The Caricom delegation is headed by St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, and includes Dr Keith Rowley, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and Caricom Secretary General Irwin La Roque.