By Luis De Jesus
09 Aug 2024, 21:57 PM EDT
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino reiterated on Friday his willingness to offer political asylum to Nicolás Maduro to help solve the political crisis in Venezuela. However, the socialist leader rejected the proposal.
Mulino stressed that if Panama can help Maduro and his family leave Venezuela, the country would be willing to do so.
In an interview with CNN, the Panamanian president explained that the asylum proposal seeks to facilitate a solution to the post-electoral crisis in Venezuela.
He said that if offering political asylum is necessary to resolve the situation, Panama would consider it without reservation. He also left open the possibility of offering asylum to other members of Chavismo, if necessary.
José Raúl Mulino said that he had conveyed this disposition to the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, through the Panamanian Foreign Ministry. However, he expressed doubts about the viability of Maduro staying in Panama, citing the difficulty of selling that idea to the population.
The presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have adopted a more cautious stance regarding the electoral results in Venezuela.
These leaders abstained from supporting a resolution of the Organization of American States that called for the publication of the voting records.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council has declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the July 28 election, after allegedly obtaining more than 50% of the votes.
However, the opposition, led by Edmundo González Urrutia, has presented electoral records indicating its victory, and has denounced that the official results were fraudulent.
Nicolas Maduro rejected Panama’s offer
Nicolás Maduro rejected Panama’s offer of asylum and the United States’ guarantees to resolve the crisis.
In a statement broadcast on state-run channel VTV, Maduro urged the United States to respect Venezuela’s democracy and independence.
He also said that Mulino’s asylum proposal and actions reflect a lack of respect for his country.
The Venezuelan leader also recalled a previous message from Mulino, who promised to reestablish relations between Panama and Venezuela. However, Maduro accused Mulino of changing his position after a meeting with the head of the US Southern Command and criticized the proposal of an international summit to address the crisis.
Continue reading:
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