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U.S., OAS Condemn Bombing of Site for Negotiations on Venezuela

(State Dept. says Caracas bombing sought to undermine new accord)
(310)
Washington -- The United States has joined the Organization of
American States (OAS) in condemning the April 12 bombing of a building
in Caracas where negotiators had reached an accord that advances
prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis in
Venezuela.
State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker said the attack
against the Caracas Teleport building was done to "undermine" the
accord, which came after talks sponsored by the OAS.
The United States had welcomed the news of an agreement between the
Venezuelan government and the country's opposition Democratic
Coordinating Committee, saying it charted a path to a constitutional,
democratic, peaceful, and electoral solution for Venezuela. The
accord, Reeker told reporters April 14, was "something we have talked
about for many, many months during this time of crisis" in Venezuela.
Reeker said the United States was calling on the Venezuelan
authorities to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to
justice.
The work accomplished by the negotiations was an "extraordinary effort
to plot out a path forward so that all the Venezuelan people could
peacefully and democratically build a better tomorrow for themselves,"
Reeker said.
OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, in condemning the bombing, said
it had been carried out by a "radical minority that lacks a vision for
the future" of Venezuela.
Gaviria said in an April 12 statement that "it is even more crucial
than ever for democratic avenues to be pursued." Gaviria said he was
confident that the Venezuelan government, the country's political
opposition, and the Venezuelan people would not be intimidated by the
bombing.
"We will continue to make every effort to sustain the will to conclude
the agreements necessary for Venezuela to uphold its tradition of
peace and democratic coexistence," said Gaviria.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)