Maduro rejects Panama asylum offer and ignores opposition meeting minutes

CARACAS (France, 24th) – After Panamanian President José Raul Mulino offered political asylum to the Venezuelan president, Maduro flatly rejected the offer. Mulino is one of the most critical Latin American heads of state of Venezuela’s ruling party and one of the first to sever diplomatic relations after the July 28 elections.

“Whoever messes with Venezuela is finished,” Maduro responded to the Panamanian president in a speech broadcast by state television VTV. The heir of Chavismo completely ruled out the possibility of accepting the Panamanian president’s offer of political asylum to advance negotiations with the opposition, which continues to express its disagreement with the results of the July 28 elections.

Maduro’s reaction came after Moulino gave an interview to CNN, in which he reiterated that his government is willing to grant political asylum to the Venezuelan president and his family as part of the “sacrifices” his country may face in order to promote stability in its neighbor.

“If Panama has to make such a contribution and sacrifice, to give up our land so that this man and his family can leave Venezuela, then there is no doubt that Panama will do it,” Mulino said in an interview, adding that the idea had been conveyed to Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, one of the regional leaders most active in mediating in Venezuela.

In addition, the Venezuelan head of state also criticized Moulin Rousseau’s efforts to organize a summit of Latin American leaders to resolve the political crisis in Caracas, stating that none of the leaders took the Panamanians seriously and that he had no legitimacy to organize such a summit event of a magnitude that, according to Maduro.

“Latin America and the Caribbean unanimously told him (Mulino): ‘Who are you, comrade? You are wrong, you have no power to call a summit,'” the Venezuelan president said.

The political asylum offered by José Raúl Mulino was surprising, given his government’s history of confrontation in bilateral relations with Chavismo.

The Moulino government was one of the first to react to the July 28 results, calling Maduro’s victory “fraudulent,” in addition to announcing the “suspension” of diplomatic relations “until a full review of the process is carried out.”

Panama is also one of the few countries to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González as the true winner of the presidential election, a move that none of the countries that have offered to mediate the conflict have taken.

Maduro admits his talks with Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are ‘pending’

Likewise, the Chavez leader spoke of international mediation attempts by the three pillars of the Latin American left, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, which have taken a confrontational approach with other countries in an attempt to negotiate a solution to the political crisis.

Maduro confirmed that his government is in “permanent communication” with representatives of the three countries, revealing that a multilateral meeting with the leaders of the three countries was budgeted, although it had to be canceled due to “agenda reasons” of the other leaders.

“We do not intervene in the internal affairs of Brazil, Mexico, Colombia. We respect the national sovereignty of these countries (…) The dialogue with the three presidents is ongoing, let us hope that it will happen,” said the Venezuelan president, confirming that your phone is open for chats “24 hours a day”.

It was the first public response by a Chavez leader to Latin America’s attempts to mediate talks with the opposition, and came a day after another statement from Bogota, Brasilia and Mexico City demanded that the established government release its electoral records.

The ruling party rejected the meeting minutes released by the opposition party

As is customary, the Venezuelan president also addressed the opposition coalition, directly mentioning its leader, Maria Corina Machado, with whom he has ruled out the possibility of negotiations, further stating that the only negotiations she should participate in are those concerning the Venezuelan judicial system.

“The only person in this country who needs to negotiate with Machado is the attorney general. Make him surrender to justice and show up and answer for the crimes he has committed. That is really the only negotiation that is appropriate here,” said Maduro, whose government has accused Machado and Gonzalez of inciting violence in the country.

In addition, the Chavista government called as “falsified” a percentage of the electoral records provided by the opposition, of which the opposition claimed to have disclosed 83.5%, which, according to it, would have given González a virtual victory.

Machado and his opposition insist that the best solution to the Venezuelan crisis is negotiation, while Maduro has confirmed that he will call for a national “political dialogue” with all deputies registered with the CNE, although he has not yet set a date or the nature of the dialogue.