The Portuguese government is calling for a reduction in tensions and respect for international law, following attacks by the United States and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Stressing that the government’s “priority is, and will continue to be, the safety of the Portuguese community in Venezuela,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) issued a press release in which it indicated that the Portuguese community is “well and calm, although naturally expectant.”
Since Venezuelan authorities declared a state of emergency, the government “reaffirms its appeal for calm and caution” previously addressed in a statement to the Portuguese community in Venezuela.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, and the AD coalition government “have been constantly monitoring the situation in Venezuela since its inception”, in close collaboration with the President of the Republic.
This is an exceptionally delicate moment in that the various calls for ‘respect for international law and the UN Charter’ avoid the observation that, up until this point, such respect has not in the least been evident.
For Augusto Santos Silva, former (Socialist) minister of foreign affairs, there is not the same requirement to tread carefully – thus he has cut to the chase to say that the US action was indeed “a flagrant violation of International Law”.
Santos Silva told SIC Notícias a great deal more, accusing the Trump Administration of “absolutely erratic behaviour” that “raises the greatest concerns (…) We are at a point where so-called strongmen are leading the world into a very explosive situation,” he said, which may not be the most diplomatic approach, but is one with which very few will privately disagree.
The only solace in Santos Silva’s remarks comes in the observation that albeit he sees “no coherence nor credibility” in President Trump – and therefore “expects little” – he does in fact expect “a great deal from the international community”, which will be working flat out today, trying to diffuse this situation and restore some form of normality.
Source: LUSA/ SIC
