translated from Spanish: The President has the floor to avoid a military intervention in Venezuela

the Permanent Forum d e foreign policy has addressed an open letter to the President of the Republic, which realizes El Mercurio in its edition of April 3rd, urging him to take a diplomatic initiative at the regional and global levels to generate a great deal by rejecting any foreign military intervention in Venezuela and to request the Secretary-General of the United Nations the establishment of a group of international mediation which “visit Venezuela and Venezuelans return negotiating without intervention of large capacity powers”. The letter says that, assuming an initiative like the proposal, the President would continue an illustrious diplomatic Chilean tradition in defense of peace in the region and the world, as it was demonstrated by the rejection of President Alessandri to the exclusion of Cuba from the OAS , and the firm attitude of President Lagos to the invasion of Iraq by the United States.
The Permanent Forum of foreign policy is an initiative that brings together, up to now, to about thirty people with vast experience in the design and execution of the foreign policy of the country in recent years and in the public service. Several of them have had, moreover, an outstanding participation in the direction of agencies and missions of the United Nations system. It’s a set of men and women that unites us a shared vision which have been the foundations of a foreign policy that has had a great internal consensus and that has positioned itself to Chile as a prestigious and important actor on the international scene both at regional and global levels. We consider what a country of average size and development, and an extraordinarily open to the world economy, it constitutes an invaluable national heritage, which is essential to preserve and develop. The foundations of this policy include respecting the treaties and international law, the promotion and defence of human rights, democracy, peace and the sovereignty of States, and the priority given to the processes of integration in the Americas Latin. Such principles can only preside over the international coexistence if strengthening multilateralism and the international system generated from the United Nations.
The Forum has expressed concern about the trend to the abandonment of this diplomatic tradition manifested on several occasions by the foreign policy of the Government of President Piñera, in particular by the non-subscription of the so-called agreement of Escazu, referred to the protection of the environment and the immigration Pact, initiatives in the which Chile had a key role. Also, we felt it criticised the initial tendency to line up uncritically with the Trump Government policy to address the Venezuelan crisis. Our purpose is to contribute to debate and propose initiatives that will allow us to preserve the capital accumulated in the country on the international stage.
Our region is now facing the most severe threat to peace that emerged in the last decades. The threat of a military intervention promoted by the administration of Trump in Venezuela is a real risk. It is necessary to take seriously the repeated affirmation of his Government that all options “are on the table”. Also disturbing is the ambiguity with which the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela has faced such a possibility. A foreign military intervention in Venezuela would be a catastrophe, not only for the suffering people brother, but for the entire region, which has managed to remain as one of the few regions in the world free of wars between States. It is essential for all that Venezuela does not become a Latin American replica of Syria, Iraq and Libya with its sequel of death and destruction.
There was born the invitation to President Piñera to lead a vigorous diplomatic initiative, together with all the Nations of Latin America, to reject the foreign military intervention in Venezuela.
The serious crisis that has dragged their country the madurista dictatorship only can be resolved through a political settlement that will allow the emergence of a legitimate Government, product of free and transparent elections supervised internationally. The international community, as demonstrated by the Latin American experience, can play a very important role to achieve that goal.
If the Piñera President welcomes this invitation, with security will be widely majority national support.

The with had poured in this op-ed is the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial line nor the counter position.

Original source in Spanish