The plenary session of the Spanish Senate took place in a harsh tone, with the Popular Party (PP) and Vox directing their questions towards ‘known’ topics such as the situation in Venezuela, and even disqualifications of the foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, were heard.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Tuesday that “unfortunately” Venezuela is not complying with the Barbados Agreement for the country to hold free elections in the near future, but that there are indications that “they are very far from what was agreed.”
«Unfortunately, we are not seeing compliance with the Barbados agreements as we would like.“Albares said during the government control session in the Spanish Senate.
Albares then recounted some breaches: «Arrest warrants issued to opposition and civil society figures, impediments to anyone who wants to compete freely and with complete transparency being able to do so… These are very far from what was agreed and what Spain would like and what we are working for..
The minister recalled that he has met on multiple occasions with both groups, the Nicolás Maduro regime and the opposition, and added that he will do so once more.with both whenever they ask for it”.
He also stressed the Spanish government’s willingness to have electoral observation missions from various institutions, such as the United Nations, the Carter Center and the European Union, attend Venezuela.
«The EU sanctions regime supported by Spain remains in force; sanctions are not an end in themselves, but the conditions in the country in which they are applied must change and, unfortunately, those conditions are not yet being met.“, he said.
Albares recalled that the position of the Government of Spain “is very clear and is public”: “We want free, competitive, transparent elections, in which anyone who wants to participate, including María Corina, can participate; I have said this in the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress, in the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels and in public media.«.
Senator Luke Uribe-Etxebarria of the Basque National Party (PNV) accused the Maduro government of being “seriously violating basic points of the Barbados agreements«; first in the updating of the voter census, and then in the «unfair disqualification» of the main opposition candidate, María Corina Machado.
Albares thanked Uribe-Etxebarria for the tone of his question, on the same subject as the previous one, from the Cantabrian PP senator Íñigo Fernández, with whom he has had mutual accusations of lying.
«Is the Spanish minister going to do anything to promote or show interest in defending free elections in Venezuela, or will it be business as usual?“, Fernández asked Albares, who replied: “Another Tuesday, another lie from the Popular Party in this chamber.”
«Everyone knows it, even you know it, but it spoils the lie, of course.“Albares told the PP senator, who in his reply read him a newspaper article regarding Spain wanting to review sanctions once morest Venezuela, adding: “Another Tuesday, another lie from the minister.”
He also called him a “basic minister” and a “minister without personality” who is “Tied hand and foot in Venezuela because we don’t know what things“, he added.
«Lie, the beginning of the question is serious, but continuing to lie following what I have said here is very serious, Your Honor.“, Albares stressed, before once more highlighting Spain’s defence of EU sanctions once morest Venezuela and free presidential elections in the country.
However, he told the PP that he will maintain “The open door» for when they want to return to state policies.
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2024-07-18 11:02:00
