ICG Can Be Relevant in Helping Dialogue Amid Rising Tensions in Venezuela - Dutch Diplomat
The International Contact Group (ICG) has all the chances to become a relevant instrument that will facilitate a dialogue in Venezuela, especially in light of latest tensions between the government and opposition, and help alleviate humanitarian crisis, Marcel de Vink, the director of the Dutch Foreign Ministry's Western Hemisphere Department, told Sputnik in an interview
The two-day ICG meeting opened in Costa Rica's capital San Jose on Monday. The meeting comes after on April 30, the Venezuelan opposition, led by US-backed Juan Guaido, made another unsuccessful attempt to oust the elected government of President Nicolas Maduro.
"We meet after a very tense week where I think basically the message that we take from that is that a political solution is even more important than ever. We think also that the International Contact Group can be relevant in that respect to make sure that it can facilitate a political dialogue, obviously it's up to the parties themselves they need to be willing but in the current context, where the tensions are mounting, the Contact Group can play a useful role both on the political track but also on the humanitarian track," de Vink said.
According to de Vink, the ICG has already made certain progress in its humanitarian efforts and will discuss it later on Tuesday.
"We will assess that progress and then keep at the humanitarian track and make sure that the crisis can be alleviated, and more access can be gained," he added.
The confrontation between the Venezuelan opposition, led by Guaido, and the Maduro government resulted in a full scale political crisis in the country in January, after the former illegally proclaimed himself interim president, contesting the results of last year's presidential election. Guaido was swiftly recognized by the United States and its allies, including those in Europe, while Russia and China among numerous other countries have backed the elected government.
The decision to set up the ICG was made at an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers in late January. The group's focus is to establish a common understanding of the situation in Venezuela and work with national and international actors to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. The ICG comprises eight EU member states France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom and four Latin American countries Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Uruguay.