The Government must properly explain to T&T why it’s shifted from its non-intervention policy on Venezuela to recently talking to self-proclaimed Venezuelan leader Juan Guaido last Saturday.
“... That’s what we want clarified in the Senate,” UNC Senate leader Wade Mark said yesterday.
“Because there’s now a lot of confusion on what T&T’s foreign policy on Venezuela really is. Is it that T&T has found itself in a position of, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them?”
Mark was commenting following last Saturday’s meeting of Caricom Foreign Ministers, including T&T’s Dennis Moses, with Guaido, via teleconference.
Canada organised the Barbados meeting. The latter is a member of the Lima group—of which St Lucia is a member—which hasn’t recognised the legitimacy of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Caricom said the Barbados meeting was in accordance with its decision to “provide good offices in facilitating a peaceful resolution to the Venezuela crisis through a meaningful internal process.”
Caricom also acknowledged the meeting as a “significant initial step in a series of potential engagements that should unfold by agreed mechanisms, within the framework of Venezuela’s constitution.”
Caricom stated that the weekend talks provided a greater understanding of Guaido’s views on how to move forward in search of peaceful solutions, as well as his willingness to participate in meaningful discussions.
Guaido, via Twitter, said the talks were mainly an opportunity for him “to express his views on the situation in Venezuela and to discuss the way forward.”
He said there was a “very strong relationship” between Caracas and the 15-member Caricom group.
Moses subsequently said he doesn’t rule out talks with Maduro. He insisted Government hasn’t backtracked on its previous hands-off position concerning Venezuela’s leaders—but said Guaido’s presentation contained “new information.”
Moses didn’t answer calls yesterday on what the information was or how it might have changed the situation and when he’d talk to Maduro.
The development has prompted speculation that Caricom will now be brokering peace talks between Guaido and Maduro.
However, Mark wondered if T&T had been shamed into going along with dealing with Guaido after last Friday’s meeting of four other Caribbean leaders, from Jamaica, St Lucia, Haiti and the Bahamas, with US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the countries were part of the Lima Group also and he felt the meeting was about Venezuela.
Reports were that Trump offered the leaders investments.
But Mark added,”Whether it is that T&T and the rest of Caricom are now open to talking with Guaido, Government must be straight in what appears to be its inconsistent foreign affairs policy - of non-intervention and neutrality - that’s causing confusion.
“What happened at that secret Barbados meeting, facilitated by Canada, to change the situation. One minute T&T’s insistent on neutrality, next minute we’re talking to Guaido! Government ought to remember, even as a Caricom member, it’s still accountable to T&T’s people and must explain its apparent inconsistent policy.”
UNC leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar had expressed support for Guaido at the height of the Venezuelan crisis recently.
Yesterday, Caricom officials contacted on the situation told Guardian Media that Caricom heads had agreed in January that Venezuela’s political crisis could only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy.
They noted the leaders had offered their “good offices to facilitate dialogue among all parties to resolve the deepening crisis.”
Leaders subsequently went to the United Nations and Washington and to try to get a dialogue going.
Caricom and other countries devised the Montevideo Mechanism for dialogue in Uruguay, with Maduro expressing interest, but Guaido rejecting it then.