Regime change in Venezuela not the answer, says Smith

Labour’s foreign affairs Spokesperson Duncan Smith has condemned the United States’ attacks on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

The January 3rd strikes on Venezuela has sparked a major international crisis, and the Labour TD has called for “immediate action” in New York and Dublin to “halt the violence, uphold international law and secure their safe return.”

The Dublin Fingal East TD said, “the attack on Venezuela by the United States and the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores represents a flagrant breach of international law and an escalation that increases instability across the world. What we are witnessing in Caracas is a situation that demands urgent global action.”

“We are seeing actions by one of the world’s most powerful states that beggar belief. The flagrancy with which the United States has acted in Venezuela has shocked the world and undermines the very foundations of international cooperation and respect for sovereign nations.

“President Donald Trump needs to end the attacks on Venezuela and return President Maduro and Cilia Flores to their country immediately. The United States, under President Trump, seems intent on perpetual conflict despite his repeated talks of peace. Words matter, but they must be backed up by actions that uphold peace and international norms.”

Smith said, “we live in a world that is already grappling with monumental crises. The search for peace and the end of conflict in Gaza has consumed diplomatic efforts globally. Ukraine continues to suffer as nations attempt to find a lasting settlement. Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe persists without a durable ceasefire and Sudan’s violence threatens the stability of an entire region.”

“Regime change by force rather than the democratic will of a sovereign people is never the answer. The rule of law must guide international relations. The United Nations Charter exists to prevent the very scenarios we are now confronted with. Ireland should call for emergency meetings of both the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly so that a ceasefire and a plan for cooperation can be put in place without delay. As a nation committed to peace, Ireland must not stand on the sidelines.”