The Diplomat
The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, yesterday expressed her concern about the events in Colombia, where the repression of the demonstrations against the government of Iván Duque has already left almost 30 people dead.
During her appearance before the Senate’s Committee on Ibero-American Affairs, Gallach assured that the Executive is “closely following” what is happening and insisted on the need for an investigation into possible abuses by the security forces, reports Europa Press.
“We ask that any excesses that may have occurred be investigated,” he said, after recalling that the authorities have already begun investigations into the matter. He added that the Spanish government expresses its willingness to accompany them in what they consider necessary and to “provide solutions”, and that this was expressed to the Colombian ambassador, Luis Guillermo Plata, with whom he met last Thursday. Gallach stressed that “the right to legitimate and peaceful protest is a key element of democracy”.
ERC senator Josep Rufà called on the government to be “more forceful” in its reaction to the situation in Colombia. For their part, the spokespersons for the PP, Gonzalo Robles, and the PNV, Luis Jesús Uribe-Etxebarría, expressed the concern of their parliamentary groups about recent events in the country, where President Duque reversed the tax reform that triggered the protests, which have continued despite this.
In the same appearance, Cristina Gallach criticised the opposition for not “providing solutions” to solve the crisis in Venezuela, but rather tackling the problem internally.
Gallach informed the senators of her visit to Caracas at the end of March, during which she met with representatives of the opposition and civil society, as well as “with representatives of the authorities that exercise control over the country’s territory and administrative apparatus, and who therefore have the capacity to decide on these issues”.
The Foreign Affairs ‘number two’ referred to the realism that the government has opted for when it comes to talking about Venezuela, and which the minister, Arancha González Laya, recently presented in Congress. This realism, Gallach stressed, “implies dialogue with all those who have the capacity to bring about change”.
She acknowledged that the Venezuelan crisis arouses in Spain “the utmost attention and solidarity with regard to the difficult situation of the Venezuelan people”. However, he regretted: “Sometimes we in the government cannot fail to notice that some of the proposals made about Venezuela are more a result of domestic political considerations than of a genuine desire to provide solutions based on legitimately differing diagnoses and proposals”.
Referring to last week’s appointment by the pro-Chávez-controlled National Assembly of the five new members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), including two members of the opposition for the first time in its history, he said it was “a first step in a process in which there are still many other necessary steps to be taken”.
“Being realistic means not ignoring the fact that we are very far from our final goal”, which is the “holding of fair, free and transparent elections”, Gallach said, “and that a CNE that includes members with opposition sensibilities is better than a CNE made up exclusively of members sympathetic to chavismo”, he added.
On a bilateral level, he stressed that, following his visit, Álvaro Sánchez Negro was released from prison and assured the rest of the political prisoners that the government continues to work “so that their integrity is guaranteed, their rights are respected and they regain their freedom as soon as possible”.
With regard to the companies, the State Secretary expressed the government’s concern “to ensure that the Spanish airlines that have the interest and capacity to operate the Madrid-Caracas route can do so on equal terms with each other”.
Cristina Gallach yesterday called for an investigation into possible abuses in the repression of the protests in Colombia.
Gallach calls for an investigation into possible abuses in Colombia
The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, yesterday criticised the opposition for not “providing solutions” to solve the crisis in Venezuela, but for using this problem internally, reports Europa Press.
Gallach appeared before the Senate’s Ibero-American Affairs Committee to report, among other things, on her visit to Caracas at the end of March, during which she met with representatives of the opposition and civil society, as well as “with representatives of the authorities who control the country’s territory and administrative apparatus, and who therefore have the capacity to decide on these issues”.
The Foreign Affairs ‘number two’ referred to the realism that the government has opted for when it comes to talking about Venezuela, and which the minister, Arancha González Laya, recently presented in Congress. This realism, Gallach stressed, “implies dialogue with all those who have the capacity to bring about change”.
She acknowledged that the Venezuelan crisis arouses in Spain “the utmost attention and solidarity with regard to the difficult situation of the Venezuelan people”. However, he regretted: “Sometimes we in the government cannot fail to notice that some of the proposals made about Venezuela are more a result of domestic political considerations than of a genuine desire to provide solutions based on legitimately differing diagnoses and proposals”.
Referring to last week’s appointment by the pro-Chávez-controlled National Assembly of the five new members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), including two members of the opposition for the first time in its history, he said it was “a first step in a process in which there are still many other necessary steps to be taken”.
“Being realistic means not ignoring the fact that we are very far from our final goal”, which is the “holding of fair, free and transparent elections”, Gallach said, “and that a CNE that includes members with opposition sensibilities is better than a CNE made up exclusively of members who are sympathetic to Chavism”, she added.
According to the State Secretary, the Government applies this realism when diagnosing the situation because, she said, “things are as they are and not as we would like them to be”, and also when putting forward proposals with the threefold objective of “defending the interests of the 150,000 Spaniards living in the country” and Spanish companies”, contributing to “a negotiated solution” to the crisis and collaborating in the response to the humanitarian crisis.
On a bilateral level, he stressed that, following his visit, Álvaro Sánchez Negro was released from prison and assured the rest of the political prisoners that the government continues to work “to ensure that their integrity is guaranteed, that their rights are respected and that they regain their freedom as soon as possible”.
With regard to the companies, the State Secretary expressed the Executive’s concern “to ensure that the Spanish airlines that have the interest and capacity to operate the Madrid-Caracas route can do so on equal terms with each other”.
In short, after concluding that “critical statements and punitive measures alone have not achieved the result we are all seeking” in Venezuela, “this government is not satisfied with a merely declaratory policy and seeks to contribute to the full return of democracy and respect for human rights in Venezuela, which for us is an objective that cannot be waived”, she stressed.
