European Left Slams EU Support for Trumpās Venezuela āTransitionā Plan

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The European Union took āpositive noteā of Washingtonās initiative.
By Lucas Koerner
Santiago de Chile, April 8, 2020 (venezuelanalysis.com) ā A coalition of leftist European parties has condemned the European Union (EU) after the bodyās foreign policy arm endorsed a new US plan to remove Venezuelaās Maduro government.
Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement taking āpositive noteā of the Trump administrationās āDemocratic Transition Frameworkā unveiled on March 31.
The plan demands the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro and his cabinet in favor of a caretaker administration headed by a five-person ācouncil of stateā composed of opposition and ruling party loyalists. Venezuelaās constitution contains no provisions permitting the creation of an executive ācouncil of stateā body.
In exchange, the US pledged to lift harsh sanctions on Venezuelaās state, oil industry, and top officials, but only after Maduro leaves office and the new government ends all security agreements with Cuba and Russia. Washington also threatened to ratchet up unilateral sanctions until Caracas accepts the deal.
Borrell added that the US framework āgoes in the EU line of proposing a peaceful way out of the crisis through a negotiated path to a democratic government, which is now more needed than ever.ā
However, in a statement Sunday, the Party of the European Left (EL) denounced the EU position as ācomplicit in a criminal policy that threatens life itself.ā
āā¦[T]he European Union is wrong in its policy towards Venezuela, maintaining sanctions and supporting the imperial claims of the United States that only seek to monopolize Venezuelaās oil and natural wealth, as they did in Iraq and Libya.ā
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Bringing together 26 leftist parties from across Europe, the EL additionally demanded āthe immediate lifting of all sanctions against Venezuela, the immediate release of funds and assets captured in an abusive manner by financial entities, and the establishment of active cooperation with that country and all others to confront the COVID-19.ā
The latest EU move marks a change of tone on the part of the multinational bloc, which called on the International Monetary Fund last month to grant emergency loans to Venezuela and Iran, criticizing the crippling impact of US sanctions on both nationsā coronavirus response. The fund had previously rejected the appeal, citing a lack of āclarity on recognitionā of the Maduro government.
While the EU has yet to impose economic sanctions on Venezuela, the body has sanctioned senior Caracas officials in addition to following Washington in recognizing self-proclaimed āInterim Presidentā Juan Guaido in January 2019.
The Maduro government, for its part, blasted the EU for backing the Trump plan on Friday, castigating the bodyās ācomplicit silenceā in response to US ānarco-terrorismā indictments against Maduro and top Venezuelan officials, which include a US $15 million reward for the head of stateās capture.
The US initiative has also received support from the Lima Group, which brings together over a dozen right-wing regional governments committed to the Venezuelan governmentās ouster.
One of Caracasā key strategic allies, Moscow, dismissed Washingtonās ātransitionā plan last week as a āmockery.ā Russia had previously decried US sanctions against Venezuela a ātool of genocideā amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Featured image: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell praised the new US plan. (DWF/Suyak)
Source URL: Venezuelanalysis.com