CARICOM DELEGATION TO THE UN, LED BY PRIME MINISTER HARRIS, ACTS AS A CRUCIAL GO-BETWEEN TO ADVANCE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AND DIPLOMACY ON VENEZUELA CRISIS

January 28^th, 2019

The Caribbean Community’s high-profile shuttle diplomacy mission to the United Nations, which is being led by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, in his capacity as CARICOM’s Chairman, follows through on the offer made by the Heads of Government last Thursday.

In the communiqué from Thursday’s special emergency meeting in Guyana, the Heads of Government offered their good offices to “facilitate dialogue among all parties to resolve the deepening crisis” in Venezuela.  Out of the meeting also came the decision to have CARICOM’s Chairman seek “an urgent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General to request the UN’s assistance in resolving the issue.”

UN Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres accepted the meeting request, resulting in Prime Minister Harris leading a high-level CARICOM delegation to the United Nations headquarters in New York.  The CARICOM delegation included the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Mottley, and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley.

Several Foreign Affairs Ministers from the Caribbean Community, as well as several Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations and other senior aides, provided support to the Prime Ministers during their meeting with H.E. Mr. António Guterres today, Monday, January 28^th, 2019.

Following this morning’s meeting, members of the CARICOM delegation discussed among themselves at the Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations.

The high-profile shuttle diplomacy continued afterwards, with the CARICOM leaders holding further discussions.  They met with Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Marc-André Blanchard, Russia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Vassily Nebenzia, and Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Samuel Moncada Acosta.  More meetings are planned.

CARICOM’s mediation efforts are being carried out to advance towards a solution that is acceptable to all actors, both internal and external.

Acting as a go-between, the CARICOM high-level delegation is engaging in what is known as “shuttle diplomacy,” to convince all actors that further escalation of the political crisis would be to neither side’s advantage and ultimately would be to the detriment of the people of Venezuela.

The CARICOM Heads of Government remain committed to the belief that the situation in Venezuela can only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy.