Spain offers mediation for a peaceful solution in Venezuela following US attacks and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, calling for de-escalation.
MADRID: Spain has offered to mediate in the escalating crisis between the United States and Venezuela.
The offer follows US military attacks on Caracas and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, who was flown out of the country.
Spain’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday calling for de-escalation and restraint.
The ministry noted Spain had not recognised the results of Venezuela’s July 2024 presidential election.
Nicolas Maduro was officially declared the winner of that vote, a result contested by the opposition.
The National Electoral Council did not publish the exact tally, citing a cyberattack.
Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia denounced electoral fraud and later fled Venezuela for Madrid.
He was granted asylum after leaving aboard a Spanish military plane.
Gonzalez Urrutia had replaced opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was ruled ineligible to run.
Machado, a recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been living in hiding in Venezuela since the election.
She managed to meet Gonzalez Urrutia in Stockholm under dramatic circumstances.
A large part of the international community does not recognise the election result.
That result allowed Maduro to embark on a third consecutive six-year term.
Spain’s statement added it “stands ready to help in the search for a democratic, negotiated, and peaceful solution for the country.”
The ministry also highlighted Spain’s welcome of tens of thousands of Venezuelans who left for political reasons.
