MENDOZA, Argentina (Reuters) - The members of South America's Mercosur trade bloc called for an end to violence in Venezuela in a joint statement on Friday, while Brazil and Argentina expressed wariness about following the United States in preparing possible economic sanctions.

Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay again called on Venezuela to release political prisoners and offered to facilitate talks between President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government and the opposition in the statement, issued as the nations met in Mendoza, Argentina to discuss trade and regional integration.

Associate Mercosur members Chile, Colombia and Guyana, as well as Mexico, also signed the statement, which called on both the government and the opposition to "not take any initiative that could divide Venezuelan society even more, or aggravate institutional conflicts."

The statement comes days after U.S. officials said they were preparing sanctions against Venezuelan government figures.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie told reporters Mercosur countries were hesitant to follow suit.

"None of us are willing to apply any sanctions that will affect, above all, the Venezuelan people," Faurie said.

Nunes said any Mercosur decision would be "autonomous" of U.S. action, and said interruptions of food shipments from Brazil to Venezuela could "aggravate the humanitarian crisis even more."

Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur last December amid concerns about human rights. Since then, four months of anti-government unrest has taken around 100 lives. On Friday, millions joined a 24-hour shutdown as part of a civil disobedience campaign against Maduro.

In April, Argentine President Mauricio Macri warned that Venezuela could be expelled from Mercosur if it did not change its behaviour.

The joint statement did not refer to Maduro's plan to hold a July 30 vote to elect a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the OPEC nation's constitution. Mexico on Thursday had called on Maduro to shelve the vote.

Bolivia, whose President Evo Morales is one of Maduro's few remaining allies in the region, is in the process of becoming a Mercosur member.

At the meeting, Mercosur members agreed to establish common legal conditions within the bloc to encourage investment and took steps to boost trade ties with the Pacific Alliance countries of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Mercosur is also eyeing a trade deal with the European Union, which Faurie said could be reached in December. </s> Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in for a second term amid international calls for him to step down and a devastating economic crisis.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in for a second term amid international calls for him to step down and a devastating economic crisis.

Nicolas Maduro sworn in for second term as Venezuela’s president

Seventeen Latin American governments, the United States and Canada rejected the legitimacy of Mr Maduro’s next term in a measure adopted on Thursday.

Most countries from Europe and Latin American did not send representatives to the swearing-in.

But Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Bolivian President Evo Morales and President Anatoli Bibilov of a breakaway province of Georgia were among the few foreign leaders who attended the ceremony at the country’s Supreme Court.

In a speech after his swearing-in, Mr Maduro claimed 94 countries had sent representatives to his inauguration.

He vowed to continue the legacy of the late president Hugo Chavez and accused the United States of trying to ignite unrest through its increasing economic sanctions.

“Venezuela is the centre of a world war led by the North American imperialists and its allies,” said Mr Maduro, a former bus driver.

“They have tried to convert a normal inauguration into a world war.”

Mr Maduro’s second term extends Venezuela’s socialist revolution amid widespread complaints that he has stripped the country of its last vestiges of democracy.

Mr Maduro, 56, denies that he is a dictator and often blames President Donald Trump for leading an economic war against Venezuela that is destroying the country.

The Organisation of American States voted not to recognise Mr Maduro’s legitimacy, adopting a resolution presented by Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the United States, Paraguay and Peru.

The move was denounced by Venezuela’s ambassador to the OAS, Samuel Moncada, as “a hostile act … against the will of our nation”.

President Mario Abdo Benitez said his country “in the exercise of its constitutional powers and national sovereignty, adopts the decision to break diplomatic relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States will keep up pressure in support of the Venezuelan people.

“It is time for Venezuelan leaders to make a choice,” Mr Pompeo said, urging Maduro supporters to be on the right side of history.

“Now is the time to convince the Maduro dictatorship that the moment has arrived for democracy to return to Venezuela.”

Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri also denounced Mr Maduro, saying he lacks the authenticity won through honest elections despite Thursday’s elaborate inauguration ceremony and any other “tricks”.

“Nicolas Maduro today is making a mockery of democracy”, Mr Macri said on Twitter.

“Venezuelans know it, the world knows it. Venezuela lives under a dictatorship.”

Oil-rich Venezuela was once among Latin America’s wealthiest nations.

It produced 3.5 million barrels of crude daily when Mr Chavez took power.

Output now has plummeted to less than a third of that.

Critics blame years of rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state-run oil firm PDVSA. </s> OSAKA, Japan, June 29, 2019 /CNW/ - "The leaders of Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Chile, members of the Lima Group, reiterated their commitment to the peaceful restoration of constitutional democracy in Venezuela today in Osaka on the margins of the G20.

During their meeting, Lima Group leaders strongly condemned the repression and systematic violation of human rights of Venezuelans by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.

They urged the international community, the United Nations system, and its Secretary-General to strengthen measures to protect Venezuelans and alleviate the consequences of the humanitarian crisis, caused by the actions of the Maduro regime.

The leaders committed to working with the international community in redoubling efforts to resolve the crisis in Venezuela. They called upon those countries that still support the Maduro regime to consider the adverse impact that their support has on the Venezuelan people and throughout the region.

Finally, they called for a strengthened and unified international commitment to uphold the human rights of the Venezuelan people, including the freeing of all political prisoners; and pledged to work within the Lima Group and with all willing international partners towards a democratic and peaceful transition in Venezuela."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolas Maduro celebrated the start to a second term as Venezuela's leader Thursday, but his world got smaller as countries seized upon the inauguration to cut back diplomatic ties, reject his legitimacy and label him a dictator.

Once among Latin America's wealthiest countries, Venezuela is enduring a historic crisis following two decades of socialist rule, with residents struggling to afford basic goods as inflation soars, driving mass migration.

Maduro's second six-year term extends the country's socialist revolution amid widespread complaints that he has stripped the country of its last vestiges of democracy.

Seventeen Latin American countries, the United States and Canada denounced Maduro's government as illegitimate in a measure adopted Thursday.

Maduro rejected the accusation, vowing to continue the legacy of the late President Hugo Chavez and accused the United States of trying to ignite unrest through its increasing economic sanctions.

"Venezuela is the center of a world war led by the North American imperialists and its allies," he declared in a speech after his swearing-in. "They have tried to convert a normal inauguration into a world war."

Maduro, a 56-year-old former bus driver and Chavez's hand-picked successor, took the helm of government after narrowly winning election following Chavez's 2013 death. He denies being a dictator and often accuses President Donald Trump of leading an economic war against Venezuela that is destroying the country.

In May, Maduro declared victory following an election that his political opponents and many foreign nations consider illegitimate because popular opponents were banned from running and the largest anti-government parties boycotted the race.

On Thursday, the Organization of American States voted not to recognize the legitimacy of Maduro's second term, adopting a resolution presented by Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the United States, Paraguay and Peru. Venezuela's ambassador to the OAS, Samuel Moncada, denounced the move as "a hostile act ... against the will of our nation."

Paraguay went a step further, severing diplomatic ties. Peru also called home its top diplomat from Caracas in protest and banned 100 members of Maduro's administration from entering the country. Argentina suspended Venezuelan diplomatic and official passports for banned high-ranking members of Maduro's administration from entering.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States would keep up pressure in support of the Venezuelan people.

"It is time for Venezuelan leaders to make a choice," Pompeo said. "Now is the time to convince the Maduro dictatorship that the moment has arrived for democracy to return to Venezuela."

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also denounced Maduro, saying he lacks the authenticity won through honest elections despite the elaborate inauguration ceremony.

"Nicolas Maduro today is making a mockery of democracy," Macri said on Twitter. "Venezuelans know it, the world knows it. Venezuela lives under a dictatorship."

Most countries from Europe and Latin American didn't send representatives to the swearing-in.

Presidents Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Anatoli Bibilov of a breakaway province of Georgia were among the few foreign leaders who attended the ceremony at the country's Supreme Court.

Venezuela, which sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, produced 3.5 million barrels of crude daily when Chavez took power. Output has plummeted to less than a third of that. Critics blame years of rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state-run oil company PDVSA.

The economic collapse has thrown the nation of 30 million people into turmoil.

The economy in 2019 will continue to contract and inflation will skyrocket at a staggering 23 million percent, forecasts Francisco Rodriguez, a former Venezuelan official who is now chief economist at New York-based Torino Capital.

An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled, according to the United Nations. Those remaining live on a monthly minimum wage equal to less than $5 and falling daily.

Venezuela's splintered opposition movement has failed to counter the socialist party's dominance as Maduro's government has jailed or driven into exile its most popular leaders.

The opposition-led Congress opened its session for the year, led by 35-year-old Juan Guaido, who accused Maduro of "usurping the presidency."

"Today there is no head of state. Today there is no commander-in-chief," Guaido said.

The Trump administration has increased pressure on Maduro through financial sanctions, targeting dozens in Maduro's government. U.S. banks are also banned from doing business with Venezuela, putting a financial strangle-hold on the cash-strapped country.

David Smilde, a Tulane University professor and expert on Venezuela, said that sanctions aren't likely to create change. Ultimately, Maduro's government isn't worried about its international reputation, he said.

"He still has control of the institutions," Smilde said. "He has the guns. He has the money."

While Maduro's popularity has plunged amid scarcities, hyperinflation and rising authoritarianism that have sparked a mass emigration, supporters who receive government subsidies in shantytowns continue to back him.

"It's not the president's fault," said Frances Velazquez, a 43-year-old mother of two who survives with the help of government-subsidized boxes of rice, flour and cooking oil. Velazquez blamed opportunists who drive up the prices of scarce items for making life difficult for families like hers.

Others, like 52-year-old construction worker Ramon Bermudez, have lost hope of escaping Maduro's rule.

He pointed out the irony of living in a nation with the world's most abundant oil reserves yet having to wait in line overnight to fill three small canisters of natural gas to cook at home.

"All that's left to do is raise your hand to heaven and ask God to help us," said Bermudez, camped out on a Caracas sidewalk with hundreds of others waiting for gas. "There's nothing more."

Associated Press writers Luis Alonso Lugo in Washington and Fabiola Sanchez and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report. </s> ASUNCION (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, visiting Paraguay on Friday to raise support for a change of government in his country, said that 600 members of the military had abandoned the government of President Nicolas Maduro in recent days.

Guaido, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, has invoked constitutional provisions to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro’s re-election last year was fraudulent. Guaido has since been recognized by most Western nations as the rightful leader of Venezuela.

However, Maduro still retains the loyalty of the bulk of Venezuela’s armed forces and controls state institutions.

“In the next few hours we will announce new protest marches,” Guaido said in Asuncion at a news conference, after meeting with Paraguayan leader Mario Abdo, who received the opposition figure as a head of state.

“We have spoken clearly to the Armed Forces of Venezuela. They have seen more than 600 officers in recent days switch to side with the constitution,” he added. “There is a very clear process of transition to democracy.”

His press team said he was scheduled to go to Argentina later on Friday to meet with President Mauricio Macri, a strong critic of Maduro. In a speech earlier on Friday, Macri said his government was playing a regional role “to condemn human rights violations in Venezuela and recognize the president in charge, Juan Guaido.”

Argentina’s foreign ministry confirmed the two would meet in Buenos Aires and that Guaido would hold a news conference.

Guaido has been traveling around the region, seeking to drum up support. He has visited Brazil and Colombia this week, but said he would return to Caracas by Monday, where he faces possible arrest for disobeying a Supreme Court order that he should not leave the country pending an investigation.

The United States, which backs Guaido, has imposed fresh sanctions on six Venezuelan security officials and revoked the visas of dozens of associates and their families with ties to Maduro, it said on Friday. </s> Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela angrily rejected as a "coup" its suspension from South American economic bloc Mercosur on Friday, the harshest international punishment yet for President Nicolas Maduro's crisis-racked government.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced Venezuela was suspended from the group after accusations that the leftist government in Caracas failed to meet democratic and trade standards.

"This is a coup d'etat to Mercosur and constitutes a very grave attack on Venezuela," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told a press conference.

Earlier, she railed against the decision in a tweet storm, calling it a "null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying Mercosur."

Although Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012, the other members complain it has yet to ratify a number of rules governing trade, politics, democracy and human rights.

Venezuela's neighbors are also becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil exporter.

Maduro's critics blame him for an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting.

The opposition also accuses the deeply unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking its efforts to remove him constitutionally.

Venezuela has been hit hard by the plunge in global prices for its crucial crude oil exports since mid-2014, pummeling the government's socialist economic model.

Although not explicitly linked to the country's crisis, Mercosur's move Thursday represented the most significant gesture by a foreign entity against Maduro's leadership since the political crisis deepened this year.

Tension between Maduro's government and its Mercosur partners were exacerbated with the election of Mauricio Macri as president of Argentina in 2015 and the replacement of Brazil's impeached former president Dilma Rousseff with Michel Temer.

Both right-leaning leaders replaced leftist presidents. And both have attacked Maduro.

Macri has accused him of holding "political prisoners," while Temer has condemned the Venezuelan government as "authoritarian."

Macri and Temer's arrival marked a turning of the so-called "pink tide" of leftist leaders in Latin America that began in 1999 with the appearance of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez.

The region is undergoing a political shake-up as many countries -- including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela -- struggle with recessions.

Mercosur's founding members took over its rotating presidency in September to block Venezuela from the post.

But in a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it is still the group's president.

Rodriguez said Venezuela "will continue exercising the legitimate presidency (of Mercosur) and will participate with the right to speak and vote in all the meetings as a state party."

Argentina takes over the presidency in mid-December, which could give it a platform for further moves against Venezuela.

Rodriguez called on the people of the bloc's member countries to oppose what she described as the organization's hijacking by "intolerant bureaucrats" and "compromised officials with imperialist mandates."

Maduro has so far shown a steely determination to keep Venezuela in Mercosur whether its partners want it or not.

"If they kick us out the door," he has said, "we'll come back in through the window."

Beyond political embarrassment, Venezuela's suspension from the group cuts it out of free-trade agreements and will end the privileges its companies and citizens enjoyed in member countries.

Mercosur was founded in 1991 to promote economic integration among its members.

Venezuela was allowed to join as an act of solidarity among the left-wing governments in power at the time, said political analyst Gabriel Puricelli of Argentina.

But it never put in place the laws necessary to comply with Mercosur rules, he told AFP.

Now that right-wing governments are coming to power, "the political will has ceased to exist to keep (Venezuela) as a full member of the group despite the fact it is not complying with the norms," he said. </s> BRUSSELS: The United States and major South American nations recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim leader Wednesday while the UN urged dialogue in Caracas to avoid "disaster", leaving President Nicolas Maduro increasingly isolated.

Major regional players Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina all gave their backing to Guaido's self-proclamation as acting president, which he made in front of crowd of tens of thousands of supporters in the capital Caracas.

The European Union called for free elections to restore democracy.

Russia however lashed out at Western countries and Cuba and Turkey expressed "solidarity" with Maduro while Mexico extended lukewarm support to him.

In Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the international community saying events in Venezuela "show clearly the attitude of the progressive international community towards international law, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of a country where it seeks a change in power."

But the avalanche of support for Guaido dramatically raised the stakes in Venezuela, an oil-rich nation that has become deeply impoverished under Maduro.

Maduro has clung to power through the support of the Venezuelan military, and is a socialist ally of Russia, which last month sent two nuclear-capable bombers to the country to participate in a military drill.

Just minutes after Guaido's declaration, US President Donald Trump recognised him as interim leader, and declared his National Assembly was "the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people".

"The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law," Trump said.

The US said it stood ready to use "all options" if Maduro tries to quash the opposition, in an implied threat of military force.

Maduro responded saying he was cutting off diplomatic ties with Washington, as his riot police clashed with opposition supporters in Caracas.

"Get Out! Leave Venezuela. Here we have dignity, damn it," Maduro said, giving US diplomats 72 hours to depart.

But Guaido tweeted in response that, under him, Venezuela wants countries "to maintain their diplomatic presence in our country".

And the US State Department said "former president Maduro" did not have the authority to sever relations.

"What we hope is that dialogue can be possible, and that we avoid an escalation that would lead to the kind of conflict that would be a disaster for the people of Venezuela and for the region," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Tweeting from the Swiss ski resort, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said: "Brazil recognises Mr. Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president."

He added that "Brazil will support politically and economically the process of transition so that democracy and social peace return to Venezuela".

Bolsonaro, a far-right former paratrooper who has set about forging close ties with the Trump administration since taking power at the beginning of January, has repeatedly vowed to challenge Maduro in any way he can.

Colombian President Ivan Duque, another US ally also at Davos, said his country was behind Guaido and will "accompany this process of transition to democracy so that the Venezuelan people free themselves of their dictatorship".

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed "full support" for Guaido, adding: "It's an important day for Venezuela and I'm grateful for the solidarity of the Lima Group in speaking out on this."

Eleven members of the 14-nation Lima Group - Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru - later issued a joint statement endorsing Guaido as interim president.

The three holdouts included Mexico, which has maintained a principle of non-intervention under leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as Guyana and Saint Lucia.

The United States is not a member but supports the group, which has taken an increasingly strident stance against Maduro, whom it sees as anti-democratic.

The European Union did not join the countries lining up behind Guaido but called for "free and credible elections".

"The EU strongly calls for the start of an immediate political process leading to free and credible elections, in conformity with the constitutional order," the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The UE member states "remain ready to support the restoration of democracy and rule of law in Venezuela through a credible peaceful political process in line with the Venezuelan constitution", she added.

EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that "I hope that all of Europe will unite in support of democratic forces in Venezuela".

He added: "Unlike Maduro, the parliamentary assembly, including Juan Guaido have a democratic mandate from Venezuelan citizens." </s> CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES, May 9 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge at the Argentine embassy in Caracas on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, after another top figure in the opposition-controlled legislature was arrested on Wednesday.

Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples' Alliance party was one of 10 opposition lawmakers stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Supreme Court this week.

The crackdown came after they joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in rallies last month to spur a military uprising against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

"He (Blanco) is there as a guest, we can confirm that," said the Argentine official, who asked not to be identified.

Venezuela's information ministry, Argentina's foreign ministry and its embassy in Caracas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro's 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.

Maduro's government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key allies in congress.

Edgar Zambrano, the Assembly's vice president, was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence agents who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. Zambrano was among the deputies who had their immunity stripped this week.

Zambrano's arrest drew swift condemnation from opposition leaders and the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.

"We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan Constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela," a senior Trump administration official said on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as 'unconstitutional' in a statement on Thursday by the Lima Group, a regional bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Canada.

Among other opposition figures, lawmaker Marianella Magallanes, whose immunity was stripped on Tuesday, sought refuge in the Italian embassy. Guaido's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March.

Last week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido's political mentor - moved into Spain's diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.

The United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro's government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections. This week, it removed sanctions on a former Venezuelan general it said broke with Maduro last week.

Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. (Additional reporting by Johnny Carvajal in Caracas and Roberta Rampton in Washington Editing by Brian Ellsworth, Daniel Flynn and Bernadette Baum) </s> Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie and Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo attend a meeting of the Lima Group to discuss Venezuela's situation and the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro's second term, in Lima, Peru January 4, 2019. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

LIMA (Reuters) - Mexico declined to join its regional peers on Friday in urging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office this month, the first time it has not signed a declaration by the Lima Group bloc created to pressure Caracas to make democratic reforms.

Mexico was once among the most outspoken critics of Maduro. But ties between the two countries have warmed under leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who faced criticism for inviting Maduro to his inauguration last month.

Mexico told the Lima Group it prefers to keep its diplomatic channels with Caracas open to help find a solution to the South American country's political crisis, said a government source in Peru who asked not to be named.

Mexico will remain a part of the Lima Group, the source and a Mexico foreign ministry spokesman said.

The remaining 13 members of the Lima Group, which include Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru, said they would not recognize Maduro's new term because last year's election was not free or fair, according to the joint statement they signed.

They also agreed to reevaluate their diplomatic relations with Venezuela and bar high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering their territory as much as their domestic laws allow, the statement said.
In Osaka, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada jointly issue a statement condemning the Venezuelan government. The statement's author, Argentine President Mauricio Macri, indicated that it was meant to "show that beyond good faith and dialogue, Maduro takes advantage of that to create more poverty, famine and corruption in Venezuela".