AMLO Offers Mexico as Venue For Dialogue on Venezuela

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Tuesday proposed his country as the venue for dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition to find a peaceful resolution. 

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"The doors of our territory are open for dialogue and intermediation so that there can be dialogue (carried out) by Uruguayans, many diplomats of the world, the U.N. (United Nations Organization), including Pope Francis," said the Mexican president.

"I respectfully call on the parties in conflict to sit down and dialogue and seek a peaceful solution, I can do that because the Constitution speaks of the peaceful settlement of disputes, not polarization, not confrontation, not manipulation, much less to violence,” AMLO added.

He also said if the conflicting parties request, Mexico will always help in achieving peace through dialogue for any country and “the doors of our territory are open for dialogue.”

On many occasions, both the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials have invited the opposition to have a proper dialogue. However, the opposition has refused to meet President Maduro.

AMLO and his administration, in past, have expressed their position on Venezuela where they support democracy and dialogue while rejecting interventionism.

"We have diplomatic relations with Venezuela and it has a constituted government and we are not going to break relations or disregard that government at this moment," Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in January this year.

The United States was quick to recognize opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as “interim president” after he proclaimed himself as such on Jan 23, in violation of the country's constitution, and Washington’s right-wing allies in the region followed suit in what the elected Venezuelan government of Maduro calls a parliamentary coup.

Since then, the U.S. has approved fresh sanctions against Caracas including economic sanctions against the country’s national oil company. Several senior U.S. officials called on the country’s military to intervene in support of Guaido. However, the country’s military has asserted its support for the constitutional government and rejected calls for a coup.

In return, Maduro has repeatedly called for the restoration of talks between his government and the opposition in order to maintain peace and avoid a U.S.-backed coup, or even military intervention by the United States in favor of removing him and placing an unelected right-wing government. 

Following the coup, the Venezuelan people and progressive countries in Latin America and the world had immediately shown their support and solidarity with the government in Venezuela against the assault on the Venezuelan sovereignty.

Mexico and Uruguay said they would be available to host talks between the government and the opposition.