Venezuelan opposition groups Wednesday proposed easing up on a general strike, as six countries set up a group dedicated to ending the unrest that has all but halted its oil exports.
Six countries agreed Wednesday to a proposal by Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva to jointly seek an end to Venezuela's seven-week crisis. Along with the United States and Brazil - - Chile, Spain, Mexico, Portugal joined the "Friends of Venezuela" group to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
The group’s launch took place without the participation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and followed the inauguration ceremony earlier in Quito of Ecuadoran President Lucio Gutierrez. Chavez had earlier met privately with Lula.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was to assign his representative with observer status within the group, according to Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Cesar Gaviria.
For its part, the United States praised the move, calling it "an important step that underscores widespread concern in the hemisphere with the urgency of Venezuela's situation", according to AFP.
"It greatly strengthens the OAS secretary general's efforts to help Venezuelans resolve their country's crisis in a peaceful, constitutional, democratic and electoral manner," State Department spokesman Louis Fintor said in a statement.
"We look forward to being a part of this group and to beginning its important work," Fintor said. (Albawaba.com)
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