Blinken and Mexican foreign minister discuss the obligation to publish electoral records in Venezuela

Bárcena (left) and Blinken (right) spoke about the Venezuelan issue / Photo: El País

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena the duty of the Venezuelan government to publish a “detailed and unaltered vote count” from the presidential elections of July 28.

According to Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman at the Secretary of State, Blinken and the Mexican foreign minister held a call on Tuesday in which the head of US diplomacy stressed the need to “end human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests and indiscriminate detentions” in Venezuela.

Blinken expressed his support for Mexico’s efforts to “facilitate an inclusive Venezuelan-led dialogue that respects the will of the Venezuelan people, leads to a return to democracy, and promotes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The call comes on the same day that the United States defended the Organization of American States (OAS) as a “vehicle” to resolve the post-electoral crisis in Venezuela, where the government declared the reelection of President Nicolás Maduro, with results questioned inside and outside the country.

Esperanza

“It is our hope and our goal to use the OAS as a vehicle for that,” Patel said at a news conference.

The spokesman made this statement after the call held on Monday between Blinken and Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, in which they differed on the role that the Pan-American organization based in Washington should play in light of what is happening in Venezuela.

The governments of Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, which have relations with Maduro, are trying to lead a mediation effort to find a way out of the crisis and on August 1, with their abstention or absence, caused the Permanent Council of the OAS to fail to approve a resolution calling for verification of the electoral results in Venezuela.

Rejection

The United States rejects Maduro’s victory, which was proclaimed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) after the July 28 elections without having broken down the electoral results.

The crisis in Venezuela has sparked multiple protests that have resulted in 25 deaths, according to several NGOs, and more than 2,400 arrests, according to official figures.

Washington / EFE