Europeans, Latin Americans to meet on Venezuela crisis
Guaido and Maduro
An international meeting to negotiate a solution to the Venezuelan crisis was set to open Thursday in Montevideo as President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido sparred over allowing humanitarian aid into the crisis-wracked country.
The European Union, eight other European countries and five Latin American nations were scheduled to meet in the Uruguayan capital with the goal of creating conditions for a peaceful political process, according to a European diplomatic source.
The initiative, originally launched by Mexico and Uruguay as a "neutral countries" conference on Venezuela, has evolved into a meeting of a "Contact Group" launched by the EU in late January and joined by Costa Rica, Bolivia and Ecuador.
On Wednesday, Maduro — having rejected an EU ultimatum on organizing snap presidential elections — welcomed the meeting and expressed support for "all steps and initiatives to facilitate dialogue".
But Guaido, who on January 23 declared himself Venezuela's interim president and is now recognized by 40 countries, has strongly rejected any talks with the government, dismissing it as a way for Maduro to buy time.