Venezuela Urged by Mercosur to Refrain From Escalating Tensions
- Trade bloc, neighbors call on Caracas not to ‘divide’ society
- Some support among members for stronger language, actions
Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, holds up a copy of the Venezuelan constitution during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 22.
Photographer: Carlos Becerra/BloombergVenezuela’s Latin American neighbors urged President Nicolas Maduro to refrain from actions that might exacerbate the country’s political crisis in a disappointment to some regional governments that favored more direct and forceful criticism.
Mercosur, South America’s largest trade bloc, called on “the government and the opposition not to carry out any initiative that could divide further Venezuelan society or aggravate institutional conflicts,” in a joint statement issued at the end of a summit in Mendoza, Argentina. Member countries Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay were joined by Chile, Colombia, Guyana and Mexico in signing the statement.