Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 February 2019
5. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland will support peaceful efforts aimed at solving the Venezuelan crisis and only those initiatives that will help to bring the crisis to a peaceful and inclusive conclusion. [9759/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy question is on Venezuela. I ask that Ireland supports all peaceful efforts to resolve the Venezuelan crisis and only those initiatives which will lead to a peaceful and inclusive resolution.
I thank the Deputy for the question. Venezuela is experiencing the worst social, humanitarian, political and economic crisis in its history. This crisis is having a dire impact on the population and has resulted in mass migration affecting countries in the region and overall regional stability. The UN estimates that more than 3 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees have left Venezuela since 2015, with the majority going to neighbouring countries. We are very concerned about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, where the needs of the population are acute. Ireland is strongly committed to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence and supports the efforts of the EU's international contact group to secure the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid in the country. Along with our EU partners, Ireland has called on numerous occasions for the Government of President Maduro to acknowledge the full scale of the humanitarian crisis. The refusal by the Government of President Maduro to allow humanitarian aid into the country over the weekend resulted in violence and confrontation, in particular at the borders with Colombia and Brazil. I condemn this violence and support fully the EU statement of 24 February which calls on the Venezuelan authorities to show restraint, avoid the use of force and allow the entry of aid into the country. The statement also reiterates the EU's commitment to increase humanitarian assistance from its current levels of over €60 million for Venezuelans in need in line with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
As well as addressing the humanitarian situation in the country, the EU's international contact group aims to facilitate a peaceful, democratic solution to the crisis by seeking to put in place conditions to allow for a political process to take place. The contact group had its first meeting in Montevideo on 7 February.
A technical mission, co-chaired by the EU and Uruguay, travelled to Caracas last week to look at how the EU can assist with next steps and preparations for fresh presidential elections and to assess how best to organise the delivery of aid to effectively address the needs of Venezuelans.
I very much welcome and support the high priority which the EU is giving to this issue and the co-ordinated action it is undertaking.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
Likewise, I fully subscribe to the common position outlined in late January, when the EU made clear that if no announcement regarding fresh elections were to be made during a specified period by President Maduro, then the EU would take further actions, including regarding the issue of recognition of the country's leadership, and consideration of additional EU targeted sanctions.
On 3 February 2019, in the absence of an announcement by President Maduro to call fresh elections in Venezuela, a number of EU member states began issuing statements recognising Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela.
On 6 February, I joined the vast majority of my counterparts in other EU member states in acknowledging and supporting Mr. Guaidó, President of the democratically-elected National Assembly, as President ad interim of Venezuela, in order for him to call for free, fair and democratic presidential elections. We currently share this position with 24 other EU member states.
Ireland continues to call for a negotiated democratic, peaceful solution that can bring political stability and address the pressing needs of the people. I will continue to engage on this with our EU and regional partners at the highest levels. Ireland strongly rejects the suggestion of any possible military intervention in Venezuela. Any solution to this crisis must be both peaceful and democratic.
Humanitarian aid is going in. It is genuine humanitarian aid and is not going in under another guise. The elections in 2018 were carried out under the same rules and procedures as the elections in 2015, with over 200 electoral observers present. Several opposition parties took part, they got 3 million votes as opposed to 6 million for President Maduro. One element of the opposition did not take part and we know who that was.
President Maduro has stressed the importance of multilateral negotiations and the significance of the UN. There are humanitarian issues but we know that they are arising as a result of the sanctions that have been imposed over several years. These are the same kind of sanctions that are crippling Cuba. Ireland has always been a strong voice against the sanctions imposed on Cuba. We know there is a US agenda. The US has been very open about its agenda to increase the number of military bases and the need for regime change. Reference has been made to "all options on the table", another phrase for military invasion. The US National Security Adviser, John Bolton, stated in a media interview that he was in talks with US oil companies to produce oil in Venezuela. There are questions regarding the US special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, and his track record in Central America. Ireland has to be strong on peace.
I do not agree with the Deputy when she seems to suggest that there were free and fair presidential elections last time out in Venezuela.
Jimmy Carter thinks there were.
I do not think that stands up to scrutiny.
On 3 February last, in the absence of an announcement by President Maduro to call fresh elections in Venezuela, a number of EU member states began issuing statements recognising Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela. On 6 February, I joined the vast majority of my counterparts in other EU member states in acknowledging and supporting Mr. Guaidó, President of the democratically-elected National Assembly, as President ad interim of Venezuela, in order for him to call for free, fair and democratic presidential elections. We currently share this position with 24 other EU member states, the vast majority of Latin and South American states and as many as 60 other countries.
The only objective is to try to get free and fair presidential elections. If, as the Deputy suggests, President Maduro has popular support in his country, why would he oppose that? He does and to date has refused to allow for such elections. This is not a question of siding with the US per se.
It certainly is.
There is a far broader coalition of countries involved.
Ireland is setting a very dangerous precedent, namely, interfering in the internal affairs of another country. Let us look at this self-proclaimed president we are recognising. Until recently, he was a pretty obscure character in a marginal far-right group that was more associated with street violence. He was better known outside Venezuela, particularly in certain Washington circles. There is a credible assumption as to who exactly is pulling the strings there. Let us now look at the Venezuelan constitution and exactly when the President of the National Assembly could temporarily assume the presidency of the country where there is an "absolute" lack of a president-elect before taking possession. There was no lack of a president-elect. On whose advice did the Government recognise this self-proclaimed president, whose actions are actually contrary to the Venezuelan constitution? Did we get some independent international law expert to advise on this? It is going against our tradition of peace-building.
Our colleagues, Deputies Clare Daly and Wallace are in Venezuela as we speak. I hope the Tánaiste will make some time to meet them next week when they bring back direct information on what is happening there.
We did not make any decisions lightly. This is a collective EU effort to try to bring about democratic change in Venezuela responding to an extraordinary humanitarian crisis. People seem to totally ignore that. There are 3 million refugees.
We did not.
The Deputy seems to be making the case for no change.
That is not so.
Ireland was one of the last EU countries to recognise Juan Guaidó as interim President to facilitate free and fair presidential elections. We are not alone in this. That is the only objective here. We reject any approach that may involve military intervention, absolutely. We are looking for peaceful democratic decisions to allow Venezuelan people decide on who is their President.
That is the end of Priority Questions.
