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In the early hours of this morning, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) passed a resolution expressing satisfaction at the restoration of constitutional order in Venezuela, and welcomed that government's decision to call an immediate "national, all-inclusive dialogue."
The Assembly also urged "all sectors of Venezuelan society to participate and devote their best and most determined efforts to bringing about the full exercise of democracy in Venezuela, abiding fully by the Constitution and taking into account the essential elements of representative democracy set forth in Articles 3 and 4 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter."
The resolution encouraged “…the Government and all social sectors and institutions in Venezuela to pursue their activities in accordance with the rule of law, and to seek national reconciliation.” It also expressed the satisfaction of member states that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights will visit Venezuela in May. It also issued a call “to provide the support and help of the OAS as required by the Government of Venezuela for the consolidation of the democratic process.” and instructed the Permanent Council to inform the next regular General Assembly about the situation in Venezuela.
Prior to the passage of the resolution, OAS Secretary General César Gaviria reported on the results of his April 15-17 fact-finding visit to Venezuela. He pointed to continued “excessive polarization” in Venezuela, noting "increased reports of human rights violations, acts of intimidation and significant acts of vandalism and looting and increasing numbers of persons dead and injured."
Gaviria also called on the Venezuelan government, opposition, social actors, human rights organizations, and the media "to commit to rejecting any participation in political debate on the part of the military."
Citing complaints from media groups about threats to press freedom and to freedom of expression, he said "it would be advisable for the government to work on these issues and to dispel many of the serious doubts that have arisen." He reiterated his call for all Venezuelans to work together to find ways of ensuring that "respect for the Constitution is the foundation and framework of action for everyone in Venezuelan public life."
The OAS mission met with a broad spectrum of representatives of the country's leading institutions, including President Chavez and the leadership of the National Assembly, as well as civil society groups, representatives of the Bishops' Conference, the media, labor unions, and opposition parties in the National Assembly.
The Permanent Council's Chair, Ambassador Margarita Escobar of El Salvador, and Belize Ambassador to the OAS Lisa Shoman, representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), accompanied Gaviria on the two-day visit.
During the special General Assembly session, Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Alfonso Dávila, outlined his government's version of the events, stressing how, during its three years in office, the Chávez government may have made some mistakes "but cannot be accused of violating human rights." To the contrary, he declared, over the past three years the government has tried to create conditions whereby "excluded" groups would have opportunities they had always been denied.
Dávila praised the OAS, saying it had stood the test of its democratic convictions in applying the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell condemned "the blows to constitutional order that Venezuela has suffered," declaring that "all of us must examine how we could have used the mechanisms of the Democratic Charter before April 11 to better support Venezuelan democracy." He added: "We must do this not just for Venezuela's sake, but for all our sakes, because the consolidation of democracy in our Hemisphere is profoundly important to all of us—to our freedom, our prosperity, and to our security."
Reference: E-084/02