Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied on Wednesday that he had spoken with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, about the Venezuelan elections and did not clarify whether he will speak with him and with Brazilian Lula Da Silva, as Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo had anticipated.
“No, there was no discussion, just to say that he is my friend, I appreciate him, I respect him,” said the president during his morning press conference.
The Mexican leader was questioned about the “probable” virtual conversation that, according to Murillo on Tuesday, the three leaders would hold this Wednesday with the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, to express their positions regarding the crisis that the South American country is facing after the elections of July 28.
The president, however, said that he respects and loves the people of Colombia “very much” and also expressed his admiration and respect for President Petro who, he reiterated, “is under strong pressure” because he has been criticized for his silence in the face of the Venezuelan crisis.
“Pressure from those who felt they owned Colombia, what was happening here (in Mexico), except that here we have made more progress, he has made progress, but it is more difficult,” he said.
He also sent a “strong hug” to Petro and the Colombian people and recommended that they take advantage of the time “to change things, to transform” and called for resistance.
“Because the oligarchs, the privileged do not want any change, they are very selfish and let us not forget: the conservative is very hypocritical (…) he suffers from amnesia, he forgets what they do when they govern and, suddenly, they shake themselves off and want to present themselves as white doves and champions of freedom, and champions of democracy and champions of justice,” he reproached.
The last time the Mexican president commented on the crisis in Venezuela was on August 23, one day after the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of that country ratified the victory of the current Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, although López Obrador has not yet recognized this triumph.
Petro and Lula have tried to mediate in the crisis that has been brewing in Venezuela since the electoral body announced Maduro’s controversial victory in the July 28 elections.
Neither country has yet recognised Maduro’s victory, but neither have they opted for the standard-bearer of the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia, instead demanding that the electoral records be published and opening avenues for dialogue with both parties.
On August 22, the Supreme Court endorsed the result of the National Electoral Council (CNE) that declared President Maduro the winner, a victory that the opposition led by González Urrutia and María Corina Machado refuse to recognize and that many Latin American countries have also questioned.
The crisis in Venezuela worsened on Monday with the arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court of Venezuela against the former opposition presidential candidate González Urrutia, backed by Machado. EFE
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