Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-11-Speech-4-194"
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"en.20040311.11.4-194"2
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".
Mr President, the European Commission is pleased that Parliament has presented an initiative on this issue. The serious political crisis in Venezuela and its serious economic consequences are a cause of concern to the Commission, which is closely following how events develop.
The political stability of Venezuela is essential not only to the development of this country but also to the security of the Andean region and the whole of Latin America. Venezuela needs international support in order to achieve a peaceful and democratic solution to the internal conflict without this having to mean interference in the country's internal affairs. The Commission therefore welcomed the beginning of dialogue between the government and the opposition and supported the facilitation of this dialogue by the tripartite group consisting of the Organisation of American States, the Carter Centre and the United Nations Development Programme.
We also supported the signature of the Declaration against Violence and for Peace and Democracy in Venezuela, in February 2003, and the agreement of 29 May of that same year. This agreement offered opportunities for achieving a peaceful, democratic, constitutional and electoral solution as advocated both by the Organisation of American States in its Permanent Council Resolution 833, and by the European Union, an idea which we continue to support.
To this end, the National Electoral Council organised a collection of signatures to call for recall referendums and the opposition set out to collect the signatures. In parallel, supporters of the government also collected signatures to recall certain representatives of the National Assembly.
The Commission shares the concern expressed by the Organisation of American States and the Carter Centre in its declaration of 2 March last and is fearful of the possible consequences of the decision of the National Electoral Council to subject 876 000 signatures for the presidential referendum considered doubtful to validation.
The Commission fears that this may represent an insuperable obstacle to an electoral solution or affect the results of the process. Nevertheless, we would urge the opposition to submit to this process of validation and the government and the National Electoral Council to guarantee the defence of the popular will in such a way that it can be expressed by means of an electoral process.
The Commission regrets the climate of violence that has been created, the loss of human lives and many injured and urges the parties to apply the Declaration against Violence and for Peace and Democracy, which they themselves agreed.
The Union has published several statements on the need to seek a peaceful, democratic, constitutional and electoral solution and we have also given the Organisation of American States economic support in its efforts to apply the May agreement and we are prepared, if necessary, to examine how the support can be increased if that organisation requests it.
Furthermore, in response to certain questions put, if the National Electoral Council decides to hold the referendum and the Venezuelan authorities invite the European Union, the Commission would be prepared to send an exploratory mission of electoral observers if it is advisable, useful and feasible."@en1
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