JAMAICA has informed the Organization of American States (OAS) that it will continue to support its efforts to help resolve the growing political crisis in Venezuela.

This follows an abortive attempt by OAS foreign ministers on Wednesday to reach consensus on an approach to the crisis, which has so far led to the death of more than 60 Venezuelans during civil disturbances involving demonstrators supporting or opposing current President Nicolas Maduro.A copy of Jamaica’s statement on Wednesday’s meeting of OAS foreign ministers in Washington, DC, issued Friday by Foreign Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, stated that “Jamaica supports (the) position enunciated by the foreign minister of The Bahamas on behalf of Caricom (Caribbean Community)”.During the consultation, The Bahamas Foreign Minister Darren Henfield proposed that the meeting be suspended and that permanent representatives of the OAS meet again to continue to flesh out proposals later in June.Henfield earlier delivered a statement on behalf of Caricom member states, expressing the region’s concern about the challenges being faced by Venezuela.He also stressed Caricom’s commitment to the principles of non-intervention and non-interference, the need for all parties to hold constructive dialogue, and the need for a peaceful outcome to the problems in Venezuela.And in a news release on Friday, spokesman on foreign affairs for the Opposition People’s National Party, Dr Morais Guy, expressed “serious concerns” regarding the political and economic situation in Venezuela.He said that the Opposition remained saddened by the loss of lives relating to the ongoing protests in the country.Senator Johnson Smith, in her statement to Wednesday’s meeting, recalled that Jamaica’s friendship with Venezuela is “long-standing and strong”, as is its relationship with the OAS.“Our bond with Venezuela dates back to the refugee provided in 1815 to the great liberator Simon Bolivar, where he wrote the Jamaica Letters and in whose memory a room in this great edifice is dedicated,” she stated.“Our regional and hemispheric positions are expressed at the OAS and through bilateral relationships. We are bound together not only by our shared historical, cultural and political experiences, but also by challenges we face as peoples of the Americas,” she said.“It is for these reasons that we have observed, and are gravely concerned by the continued deterioration of the situation in Venezuela, including the increasing violence, loss of life and damage to infrastructure, severe economic hardships for the people, and a hardening of deeply entrenched positions by both Government and opposition groups,” Johnson Smith added.The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Friday that a declaration criticising the Venezuelan Government, put forward at the meeting by countries including the United States and Mexico, was opposed by “some of Venezuela’s Caribbean allies”.The declaration also included a demand that the Venezuelan Government shelve plans for the creation of a citizens’ assembly to rewrite the constitution.The BBC said that the declaration failed to get the support of two-thirds of the OAS countries present, “as Caribbean nations which rely on cheap oil from Venezuela put forward their own, softer declaration”.The BBC said that the Venezuelan Government celebrated the suspension as a victory against “interventionist countries” trying to meddle in its internal affairs.Last Tuesday, the Venezuelan Embassy in Kingston reiterated the country’s position that democracy ought to be respected in the South American country, and suggested that the Opposition was responsible for the violence that has swept the oil-rich country, which has so far resulted in the death of over 80 people.Charge D’Affaires of the Venezuelan Embassy Luisa Gutierrez told the

Jamaica Observer that her country was inspired by the support shown to Venezuela by some Caribbean states, and expressed the hope that the solidarity will continue. She said that protests by the Opposition normally escalate when the group feels that it has the backing of the OAS.On April 29, Venezuela officially signalled its intention to withdraw from the 34-member OAS after a vote by a majority of the OAS members to convene the meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the political situation in the Spanish-speaking state, something vehemently opposed by Venezuela.Under OAS rules, exit from the organisation would not become effective before 2019.Secretary general of the OAS Luis Almagro also infuriated Venezuela with utterances which, among other things, called for the invocation of the Democratic Charter for Venezuela, which could result in sanctions for the embattled country which has enjoyed healthy trade relations with Jamaica since the 1970s when it was led by Carlos Andres Perez and Jamaica by Michael Manley.