LIMA (AFP) - Foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada said Friday (Jan 4) their governments would not accept Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president when he is sworn in for a second six-year term next week.

The 14-member Lima Group - with the exception of Mexico - said it would not grant recognition to Maduro's hardline socialist government, after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Maduro's inauguration on Jan 10.

Maduro was re-elected on May 20 in a ballot boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States which called it a "sham."

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Popolizio told reporters.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The Group, of which Canada is a member, said Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until free elections can be held.

"Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Popolizio said.

Venezuela hit back at the Lima Group, accusing it of fomenting a coup at the behest of the US, which has sanctioned Venezuelan officials and entities.

Caracas expressed its "great bewilderment at the extravagant declaration of a group of countries of the American continent which, after receiving instructions from the United States through a videoconference, have agreed to encourage a coup d'etat," according to a statement read by Venezuela's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.

The United States, which is not a member of the group created after deadly anti-Maduro protests in 2017, participated in the meeting for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented by video conference from Washington.

The arrival in power of a new far-right government in Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is likely to harden regional opposition to Maduro.

Bolsonaro, who has aligned himself with Washington by expressing hostility towards "authoritarian regimes," said Thursday he was open to discussing his country's becoming home to a US military base "in the future."

Venezuela recently hosted the Russian Air Force, including long-range nuclear bombers, for joint military exercises - a move that stoked regional tensions.

The Lima Group action coincides with a statement from Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognise the "illegitimate" Maduro when he takes office.

"We are facing a man who stole an election. We will not have more than a usurper (as president). Neither Venezuelans nor foreigners can recognise Maduro as president," opposition deputy Delsa Solorzano told AFP.

Separately, the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, called on Twitter for the international community not to recognise Maduro.

Maduro, who was handpicked by Socialist president Hugo Chavez to succeed him when he died in 2013, was re-elected in May after early elections called by the Constituent Assembly, a body created by Maduro which has in practice replaced the legislature.

The Lima Group statement reiterated its support for the National Assembly, which it recognises as Venezuela's "constitutionally elected body." Washington has recently stepped up contacts with South American states dealing with the influx of migrants - around one million to Colombia alone - from Venezuela's worsening economic crisis.

Pompeo was in Cartagena earlier this week for talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque. Both officials have denounced Maduro's "dictatorship" and agreed to step up efforts to isolate his government diplomatically.</s>Diplomats from a dozen Latin American countries and Canada have urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term after a widely criticised election, saying it is the only way to restore democracy to the country.

The Lima Group, which includes Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, issued a joint statement on Friday calling on Maduro to cede power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until new elections can be held, following a meeting in the Peruvian capital.

Thirteen of the group's members will not recognise Maduro's new term and will also bar high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering their territory as much as their domestic laws allow, the statement said.

The strong rebuke comes just days before his January 10 inauguration to a second six-year term.

Mexico, once one of the most outspoken critics of Maduro, was the only member of the coalition to abstain from the vote.

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Relations have warmed under leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who faced criticism for inviting Maduro to his inauguration in December.

'Humiliating subordination'

Even before announcing its decision, the gathering prompted a sharp response from Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who said the coalition is taking orders directly from US President Donald Trump, who Caracas frequently accuses of spearheading an economic war against the country.

"What a display of humiliating subordination!" Arreaza said on Twitter.

Lo que hemos afirmando desde la creación de este grupo de gobiernos cartelizados contra Venezuela, al que en teoría no pertenece el gobierno de EEUU: se reúnen para recibir ordenes de @realDonaldTrump por intermedio de @SecPompeo. ¡Vaya muestra de humillante subordinación! https://t.co/Mcw9MLjWkv — Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) January 4, 2019

TRANSLATION: What we have stated since the creation of this group of governments cartelised against Venezuela, which in theory is not linked with the US government: They meet to receive Donald Trump's orders through Secretary Pompeo. What a display of humiliating subordination!

A once-wealthy oil producer, Venezuela is suffering a prolonged economic crisis with severe food and medicine shortages and the inflation rate soaring higher than one million percent, according to the IMF.

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The Lima Group formed in 2017 to advocate for a regional solution to the crisis, which has caused millions of Venezuelans to flee into neighbouring countries.

Immediately following Maduro's May 20 re-election, the coalition said it refused to recognise the results, decrying the vote as failing to meet "international standards of a democratic, free, just and transparent process".

The United States is not formally a member of the Lima Group, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo participated in the meeting via video conference.

The Trump administration considers Maduro's government a "dictatorship". It has sanctioned around 70 top officials and blocked US banks from doing business with Venezuela, putting a financial stranglehold on the cash-strapped country.</s>Lima Group, without Mexico, urges Maduro to refrain from taking office next Thursday

Mexico’s new government on Friday called on its peers to refrain from interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, declining to back a regional declaration that urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office on Jan. 10.

Mexico was the sole country in the 14-member Lima Group that opted not to sign a statement critical of Maduro, the first time Mexico has not supported a declaration by the group since it was created in 2017 to push for democratic reforms in Venezuela.

Mexico was once among the most outspoken critics of Maduro. But ties with Venezuela have warmed under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who invited Maduro to his inauguration last month.

Maximiliano Reyes, Mexico’s deputy foreign minister responsible for Latin America, said following a Lima Group meeting in Peru that Mexico was concerned about the “situation regarding human rights” in Venezuela but would not comment on the legitimacy of its government.

Instead, he asked the Lima Group to rethink its approach.

“We call for reflection in the Lima Group about the consequences for Venezuelans of measures that seek to interfere in internal affairs,” Reyes said in a statement.

In the statement, the Lima Group urged Maduro to refrain from taking the presidential oath next Thursday and instead cede power to the opposition- controlled congress until new, fairer elections can be held.

Only through the full restoration, as soon as possible, of democracy and a respect for human rights is it possible to resolve the country's political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis, the diplomats said.

In a Friday evening state television broadcast, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Maduro would take office on Jan. 10 in a “legitimate and constitutional” process, which he said “does not require the approval of any foreign government.”

He said Venezuela was “perplexed” by the statement and that the country would take reciprocal action for diplomatic steps taken by any other government.

Reyes called for mediation and dialogue from the Lima Group, not isolation.

Mexico’s stance was a blow to regional efforts to ramp up pressure on Maduro ahead of his inauguration, which Venezuela’s opposition hoped would be a watershed moment to highlight how he has undermined democracy and mismanaged the OPEC member’s economy.

Peru said last month that it would propose ending diplomatic relations with Venezuela to Lima Group members. But no country has yet announced it would sever ties.

The 13 remaining countries in the Lima Group that signed Friday’s statement, which include Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, called Maduro’s new term “illegitimate” and urged him to hand power over to the National Assembly until democratic elections can be held.

They also said they would seek to bar high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering their territory or having access to their financial systems.</s>A group of Latin American countries says they will not recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's mandate for a new six year term (AFP Photo/Francisco BATISTA)

Lima (AFP) - Foreign ministers from Latin America and Canada said Friday their governments would not recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president when he is sworn in for a second six-year term next week.

The 14-member Lima Group said they would not recognize Maduro's hardline socialist government after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic crisis.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Maduro's second-term inauguration on January 10.

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Popolizio told reporters.

The Group, which includes Canada, said Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the National Assembly until free elections can be held.

"Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Popolizio said.

Officials said earlier that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would participate in the meeting by video conference -- even though Washington is not a member of the 14-nation body.

Pompeo also was to hold bilateral talks with Brazil's new Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo on the sidelines of the meeting, also by video-conference, according to an agenda released by Araujo's office.

The arrival in power of a new far-right government in Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is likely to harden regional opposition to Maduro.

Bolsonaro, who has aligned himself with Washington by expressing hostility towards "authoritarian regimes," said Thursday he was open to discussing his country hosting a US military base "in the future."

Venezuela recently hosted the Russian Air Force, including long-range nuclear bombers, for joint military exercises -- a move that stoked regional tensions.

Peru has previously said it would use the meeting to urge members to cut diplomatic ties with Caracas as Maduro prepares to begin a second term after a controversial May election boycotted by the opposition.

The move coincides with a statement from the Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognize the "illegitimate" Maduro when he takes office.

"We are facing a man who stole an election. We will not have more than a usurper (as president). Neither Venezuelans nor foreigners can recognize Maduro as president," opposition deputy Delsa Solorzano told AFP.

Maduro, who was handpicked by Socialist president Hugo Chavez to succeed him when he died in 2003, was re-elected in May after early elections called by the Constituent Assembly, a body created by Maduro which has in practice replaced the legislature.

The Lima Group statement reiterated its support for the National Assembly, which it recognizes as Venezuela's "constitutionally elected body."

Washington has recently stepped up contacts with South American states dealing with the influx of migrants from Venezuela's worsening economic crisis.

Pompeo was in Cartagena earlier this week for talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque. Both officials have denounced Maduro's "dictatorship" and agreed to step up efforts to isolate his government diplomatically.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The regional group -- created in 2017 after more than 125 people died in anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela -- has refused to recognize the May elections, which were marred by irregularities as well as an opposition boycott.</s>LIMA (Peru)
• Foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada have said their governments will not accept Mr Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's President when he is sworn in for a second six-year term this week.

The 14-member Lima Group - with the exception of Mexico - said last Friday it would not grant recognition to Mr Maduro's hardline socialist government, after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Mr Maduro's inauguration on Jan 10.

Mr Maduro was re-elected last May 20 in a ballot boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States which called it a "sham".

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Mr Popolizio told reporters.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The Lima Group, of which Canada is a member, said Mr Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until free elections can be held. "Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Mr Popolizio said.

Venezuela hit back at the Lima Group, accusing it of fomenting a coup at the behest of the US, which has sanctioned Venezuelan officials and entities.

Caracas expressed its "great bewilderment at the extravagant declaration of a group of countries of the American continent which, after receiving instructions from the United States through a video conference, have agreed to encourage a coup d'etat", according to a statement read by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.

The US, which is not a member of the group which was created after deadly anti-Maduro protests in 2017, participated in the meeting for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented by video conference from Washington.

The move coincides with a statement from Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognise the "illegitimate" Mr Maduro when he takes office.

Separately, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States, Mr Luis Almagro, has called on Twitter for the international community not to recognise Mr Maduro.</s>The Lima Group has called on Maduro "not to assume presidency on January 10… and to temporarily transfer the executive power to the National Assembly until a new, democratic presidential poll is held."

The nations reiterated their full support of the Venezuelan legislature, elected in 2015, and rejected as illegal last May’s vote that saw Maduro re-elected for a second six-year term.

Reacting to media reports that US State Secretary Mike Pompeo took part in the meeting via teleconference, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza slammed the 14-member group for taking orders from US President Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Lima Group Decides to Offer Asylum to Venezuelan Officials — Reports</s>The Lima Group of Latin American countries on Friday urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate, and cede power until new elections can be held.

The bloc said in a statement that they would not recognize Maduro's socialist government after a meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss how to step up international pressure on the Maduro regime.

The meeting discussed Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in on January 10. Mexico also partook but didn't sign Friday's statement.

Maduro has presided over an financial crisis which has led to recession, hyperinflation and a collapsing economy, which have left the population with critical shortages of electricity, food and medicine, as well as a crumbling infrastructure.

Read more: What is going on in Venezuela?

What did the Lima Group decide?

The declaration signed on Friday states that the following measures have been agreed by the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia:
• Reevaluate the status or level of diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
• Prevent Venezuelan officials from entering the territory of the countries of the Lima Group.
• Urges other nations to support an International Criminal Court investigation into the commission of possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
• Calls on the international community to adopt similar measures.

At least 16 Latin American nations, as well as the United States, had warned Venezuela ahead of the May 2018 election that it would be seen as illegitimate by the region unless it restored democratic standards before the poll.

A joint declaration put out at the Summit of the Americas in Peru in April said the election would be "void of legitimacy and credibility" if it went ahead under current conditions.

The joint statement was signed by the 16-nation Lima Group, which includes Latin America's biggest economies of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The United States also signed the declaration.

The opposition in Venezuela said that President Nicolas Maduro has prepared a rigged snap election to deliver him a new mandate and tighten his hold over his economically devastated country.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>A dozen Latin American governments and Canada have delivered a blistering rebuke to Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, questioning the legitimacy of his soon-to-begin second term and urging him to hand over power as the only path to restoring democracy in his crisis-wracked country.

The sharp criticism came at a meeting on Friday of foreign ministers from countries including Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, all of which have been weighing how to confront the increasingly authoritarian Maduro while absorbing a growing exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic chaos.

In a statement, the Lima Group urged Maduro to refrain from taking the presidential oath next Thursday and instead cede power to the opposition-controlled congress until new, fairer elections can be held.

“Only through the full restoration, as soon as possible, of democracy and a respect for human rights is it possible to resolve the country’s political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis,” the diplomats said.

Even before announcing the resolution, the group’s meeting with the participation of US secretary of state Mike Pompeo drew a sharp response from Venezuelan foreign minister Jorge Arreaza. He accused the coalition of taking orders directly from Donald Trump.

“What a display of humiliating subordination!” Arreaza said on Twitter.

A once-wealthy oil nation, Venezuela is in the throes of crisis, marked by hyperinflation that makes it difficult for people to afford scarce food and medicine. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have migrated from the country since 2015, according to the UN.

The Lima Group was formed more than a year ago by mostly conservative-run regional governments seeking to defuse a crisis in Venezuela that is increasingly threatening regional stability.

While the group previously denounced Maduro as a “dictator” and urged dialogue, its hard-edged resolution calling on Maduro to step down suggests its members are losing patience.

But beyond the heated rhetoric, the anti-Maduro coalition showed signs of fraying along ideological lines.

Regional powerbroker Mexico was one of the early and biggest promoters of the Lima Group. But it sent a lower-level representative to Friday’s meeting who refused to sign the resolution, reflecting the policy of non-intervention favored by that nation’s new leftist president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Maduro traveled to López Obrador’s inauguration, meeting privately with the Mexican leader.

The US is not formally a member of the Lima Group but has been a vocal supporter and Pompeo participated in the meeting via video conference.

Pompeo this month made a visit to Latin America during which he attended the inauguration of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and then stopped in Colombia to meet with President Iván Duque. Both Bolsonaro and Duque have declared a united stance against Maduro’s government aligned with the US.

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America, questioned Pompeo’s participation in Friday’s meeting.

He said the Lima Group was created to showcase concerns of Latin American nations about Venezuela’s crisis and Pompeo’s involvement furthers a perception that the US has been quietly directing its moves.

“I’m worried that this paints the region into a corner, with no clear path forward,” Ramsey said of the resolution. “The truth is that Maduro isn’t just going to hand over the keys.”</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.</s>LIMA, Peru (AP) - The Latest on a regional meeting about Venezuela's political crisis. (all times local):

A dozen Latin American governments have urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term next week and cede power until new elections can be held. They say it is the only way to restore democracy in the South American nation.

The strong rebuke came following a meeting Friday of high-ranking diplomats from the 12 regional governments and Canada in Peru's capital to discuss Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in Jan. 10 for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate.

Mexico also partook in the meeting of the so-called Lima Group but didn't sign the statement.

The group also called for a toughening of sanctions against Maduro's government and expressed support for efforts to initiate proceedings against his government at the International Criminal Court.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, right, and Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie, left, attend a meeting of the Lima Group concerning Venezuela in Lima, Peru, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. A coalition of international leaders gather in Lima to define a strategy for resolving Venezuela's growing crisis ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration to a second term, which is widely dismissed as illegitimate. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Maduro has disavowed the group's recommendations in the past and his foreign minister on Friday accused the countries of taking orders from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Lima Group announces that from January 10, 2019, the government of Nicolás Maduro will no longer be recognized by the governments which compose the multilateral body.