Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

"The European Union remains deeply concerned about the worsening political crisis in Venezuela." This is what came at the top of the European statement issued in Brussels by the office of Josep Borrell, the coordinator for foreign and security policy. The statement added, "The European Union welcomes the interim report prepared by the UN Panel of Experts, at the invitation of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, to assess the overall conduct of the elections within the framework of the Barbados Agreement. This report shed light on the electoral process and emphasized the lack of evidence to support the results announced by the Venezuelan authorities.
To date, the Venezuelan authorities have not provided the public evidence necessary to assess the electoral process according to the criteria set by the UN Panel of Experts.
In light of the ruling issued by the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela, it is worth recalling that the National Electoral Council is the body legally and constitutionally responsible for the transparent and detailed publication of official electoral results.
Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted or recognized to ensure respect for the will of the Venezuelan people.
The European Union continues to urge the National Electoral Commission to publish and verify official voting records ("registers") from all polling stations Independently. Furthermore, the EU stresses that the UN Panel of Experts has confirmed that a sample of the official records published by the opposition shows the security features of the original results protocols, thus confirming their reliability. According to publicly available copies of the official records, Edmundo González Urrutia appears to have won the presidential election by a large majority.
The Venezuelan people must decide their own fate. Their will must prevail. The EU will continue to work with its regional partners to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people expressed at the ballot box is respected and to facilitate a Venezuelan-led dialogue that provides guarantees for both sides and leads to the restoration of democracy and the resolution of the current humanitarian, social and economic crisis.
The Venezuelan authorities must respect the right of all Venezuelans to demonstrate peacefully and freely express their political views without fear of reprisals. The authorities must refrain from using excessive force, end the repression and harassment of the opposition and civil society, and release all political prisoners. Human rights violations must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held accountable.