THE HAGUE - Members of Parliament Martijn van Helvert and Pieter Omtzigt, both of the Dutch opposition party CDA, have serious reservations about a secret diplomatic European Union mission to Venezuela.
Van Helvert and Omtzigt call it painful that the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro makes a good impression with the visit and have therefore put written questions to Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs.
Question 1:
Can you confirm that an EU delegation visited Venezuela at the end of September to speak with the Maduro regime about delaying the Venezuelan parliamentary elections? [1]
Question 2:
Has the EU delegation argued in favor of postponing the elections only or has it informed the regime that, regardless of the election date, the results of the elections will only be recognized by the European Union if other requirements are also met, such as the release of political prisoners, a fair election framework, electoral participation of all candidates and political parties, return of exiles and an impartial composition of the National Electoral Council? If not, why not?
Question 3:
Who did the EU delegation talk to and what were the results of the discussions?
Question 4:
Has Juan Guaido, the interim president of Venezuela recognized by the European Union, been informed of this diplomatic mission in advance? If so, has he approved this? If not, why not?
Question 5:
Has the Foreign Affairs Council given explicit authorization to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for this mission? If so, have you also agreed to this? If not, with what mandate has the High Representative launched this EU mission?
Question 6:
Do you agree that this EU mission provides legitimacy to the Maduro regime and the parliamentary elections it organized?
Question 7:
Have you asked the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for an explanation of this diplomatic mission? If so, what was his explanation? If not, are you willing to do this at your next meeting?
Question 8:
Are you aware of the report that the EU Ambassador to Venezuela received on Tuesday, September 29, called “The Truth of Venezuela Against Infamy” from Mr. Tarek William Saab? [8]
Question 9:
What is the relationship between the visit of the EU Delegation to Venezuela (24-28 September 2020) and the presentation of a report to the EU Ambassador in Venezuela on 29 September 2020?
Question 10:
Can you confirm that Mr. Tarek William Saab is on the sanctions list of the European Union?
Question 11:
Does the EU Ambassador in Venezuela have the mandate to enter into dialogue at his own discretion with Venezuelans on the EU sanctions list, or does the High Representative require permission on a case-by-case basis?
Question 12:
The EU Ambassador to Venezuela has received explicit permission from Brussels to submit a report from Mr. Tarek William Saab? If so, why has this permission been granted?
Question 13:
Are you aware that the Maduro regime is widely using the video footage of the presentation of the report by the Venezuelan ministers to the EU Ambassador as propaganda material in order to increase its legitimacy among the population? And what do you think about this?
Question 14:
Do you agree that this handover ceremony provides the Maduro regime with undesirable legitimacy and is directly contrary to policies that the European Union does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela?
Question 15:
What is the content of the report “The Truth of Venezuela Against Infamy” and what is your appreciation of this report?
Question 16:
Do you share the view that both the EU mission and the receipt of a propaganda report by the EU Ambassador are extremely painful in light of the recent report of the Independent International Fact-Finding mission on Venezuela, which provides evidence of large-scale illegal executions, disappearances and torture in Venezuela and that ministers and senior officers were aware of this? [3]
Question 17:
What do you plan to do to prevent such harmful situations in the future?
Question 18:
Can you answer these questions one by one and within three weeks?
[1] Pledge Times, 29 september 2020, 'Borrel will maintain dialogue with Maduro despite criticism in the European Parliament'. (https://pledgetimes.com/borrell-will-maintain-dialogue-with-maduro-despite-criticism-in-the-european-parliament/)
[2] Orinoco Tribune, 29 september 2020, 'Report “The Truth of Venezuela Against Infamy” Delivered to European Union Ambassador in Caracas'. (https://orinocotribune.com/report-the-truth-of-venezuela-against-infamy-delivered-to-european-union-ambassador-in-caracas/)
[3] UN.org, 16 september 2020, 'Venezuela abuses amounted to crimes against humanity: UN-appointed panel'. (https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072512)
