Friends of Venezuela representatives head for Caracas

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 1:35:54 AM By: Robert Rudnicki

Following the initial meeting of the "Friends of Venezuela" group in Washington on Friday, the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States took the decision to send a high-level delegation to Venezuela to assist Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general, Cesar Gaviria, in finding a peaceful and democratic solution to Venezuela's ongoing political crisis.

The meeting also discussed former US President Jimmy Carter's proposals for a resolution. Following talks with President Hugo Chavez Frias and opposition leaders, Carter had proposed two alternatives for a resolution to the impasse.

The first would involve an amendment to the Constitution, which would permit early general elections, while the second would see the opposition waiting for a revocatory referendum in August, the earliest date the current Constitution permits.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who attended the early stages of the meeting, backed the former President's moves for peace ... "the Carter proposals represent the best path available for Venezuelans. They provide the badly needed basis on which both sides can bridge their differences on the immediate issues."

Meanwhile, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said "the problem of Venezuela is a problem of great urgency that requires therefore that we act immediately."