John Bolton leads U.S. delegation to the Lima Group’s conference on Democracy in Venezuela

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, are arriving in Lima to attend an international conference on the Venezuela political crisis, organized by the Lima Group.  Also expected to arrive is Elliott Abrams, head of the White House team for the Venezuela issue.

On Twitter, John Bolton said, “Looking forward to my trip to Lima for the International Conference on Democracy in Venezuela to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela w/ regional leaders. This is a great opportunity to meet w/ friends in the Hemisphere on continued support for Interim Pres.”

Peru’s Foreign Relations minister, Néstor Popolizio, and the members of the Lima Group have invited 100 countries to the international conference — including China, Cuba, Russia and Turkey, none of which are expected to attend— to “create an international environment that will help the Venezuelan people themselves rise above the grave situation,” acting within their constitutional order, the principles of international law and the full compliance of the democratic system. Peru hopes the meeting will build support for early elections in Venezuela.

Russia stated it will not be at the conference because it doubted the conference could contribute anything to the negotiation process already initiated between the Maduro administration and the opposition —talks are being held in Barbados with the mediation of Norway— and believes that pressure from outside could complicate any possibility of trust between the two sides.

The Lima Group strongly advocates for a solution reached without force between Maduro and the opposition, but the U.S. delegation plans to have a “big presence” at the conference.

Last week, President Donald Trump said he was considering a blockade on Venezuela.  In Washington this weekend,  John Bolton said he believes the Barbados talks will get nowhere and opposes elections in Venezuela while Maduro remains in power because the results could be manipulated.

Bolton is known to have a propensity for military interventions, while Abrams is more pragmatic but was involved in the Iran-Contra arms trading scandal during the Reagan administration.  Wilbur Ross plays a less visible role but has been designing an economic strategy for Venezuela post-Maduro.

Delegates from three international organizations and 59 countries will be at the conference, including from 18 Latin American countries, the Vatican, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Israel, United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Neither President Maduro of Venezuela nor Juan Guaidó, recognized by some 50 nations as the interim president, have been invited to the conference.

The Lima Group was established in 2017, initially with 12 nations including Canada, during Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s administration.