UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for resumption of talks between the government and the opposition in Venezuela, saying the "only solution is a political solution based on those negotiations."
He also discouraged any foreign military intervention in the domestic crisis, namely one from Washington.
"Latin America has successfully strongly struggled over the last decades to free itself from both foreign intervention and authoritarianism," Guterres pointedly reminded reporters here at UN Headquarters. "And, I think this is a legacy that must be safeguarded."
The secretary-general was asked what kind of a message he would send to the Venezuelan government.
"It's a very clear message that Venezuela needs a political solution based on dialogue and compromise between the government and the opposition," Guterres said.
"I recognize the efforts that international facilitators and regional leaders that are assisting the Venezuelan government and the opposition in advancing political negotiations."
"I strongly support those efforts," he said. "I've been in close contact with all of them and I urge the government and the opposition to restart negotiations because I believe that the only solution is a political solution based on those negotiations."
When asked what message he would send to U.S. President Donald Trump, Guterres said, "Latin America has successfully managed to get rid of both foreign intervention and authoritarianism ... this lesson is very important to make sure this legacy is safeguarded and mainly in Venezuela."
Oil-rich Venezuela has suffered a crucial loss in revenue because of the global slump in petroleum prices, causing skyrocketing inflation which touched off demonstrations that have turned violent, leading to the death of over 120 people.
