The EU will debate the response to the crisis in Lebanon and new sanctions against Iran for its support of Russia
BRUSSELS, Oct. 11 () –
The Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven will reiterate this Monday their position on the political crisis in Venezuela, reaffirming their refusal to recognize Nicolás Maduro’s victory but without planned steps towards the opposition candidate Edmundo González, who a few weeks ago was designated by the European Parliament as legitimate president.
Two months after the presidential elections in which Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner without presenting records that support his victory, the member states will review the crisis in Venezuela. “The situation is not very different from two months ago,” acknowledges a senior EU official who points out that the Foreign Ministers will reiterate the complaint regarding the electoral situation, their support for the opposition and the message that there is “clear evidence” that the elections were won by the opposition.
In any case, no decisions are expected, not even regarding new signals towards the opposition candidate, despite the fact that a few weeks ago the European Parliament recognized him as the winner of the elections and legitimate president of Venezuela. “It is not something that is on the agenda,” indicates the senior official, highlighting that Edmundo González has not focused on this recognition in the exchanges with European diplomacy either.
At the moment, in Brussels they emphasize that there are months left until January 10, when the new president in Venezuela must take office, which is why they support the regional initiatives, of Colombia and Brazil, to achieve internal dialogue. in the country that can resolve the crisis.
The issue of Venezuela will also be addressed at the European Council at the end of next week. The draft conclusions of the summit urge the Venezuelan authorities to respect the democratic will of the Venezuelan people and show the intention of the 27 to work on the country’s democratic transition, but avoids references to the veteran diplomat.
SANCTIONS ON IRAN FOR SENDING MISSILES TO RUSSIA
Regarding aid to Ukraine against the Russian invasion, the EU will explore options to make the fund that finances military support to Ukraine voluntary and, in this way, circumvent the blockade that Hungary has posed for a year and a half.
Budapest, reluctant to send weapons, prevents the reimbursement to Member States of 6.6 billion euros in assistance to the Ukrainian Army. One solution is for the fund to be funded by voluntary contributions from the Member States since currently the countries of the bloc contribute financially to this plan according to their economic weight in the EU.
Likewise, the EU will proceed with sanctions against people and entities involved in the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, a step that it considers “a direct threat” to European security and that represents a “substantial escalation” in Iranian support for Moscow.
In this way, it responds to the shipment of Iranian-made ballistic missiles to Russia, which it then uses in the invasion of Ukraine, an episode uncovered by US Intelligence and which European sources indicate that the authorities in Tehran already recognize.
The Twenty-Seven will discuss all these issues and the sustained support for kyiv in the face of Russian attacks on energy facilities with the new Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andri Sibiha, who will participate in the meeting for the first time via videoconference.
COMMON LINE AGAINST ISRAEL’S ATTACKS ON FINUL
The foreign ministers will also have the crisis in the Middle East on the table, with the escalation of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon as the most recent event, including the repeated attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces against positions of the UN peacekeeping mission. in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) which has resulted in several injuries.
The EU is working on a joint declaration to denounce the situation in Lebanon, after Spain, France and Italy, European partners with a presence in UNIFIL, have expressed their condemnation of Israeli actions.
Israel, for its part, maintains that the latest attack was involuntary and alleges that Hezbollah uses the ‘blue helmets’ as “shields.”
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