FRANKFURT, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign ministry on Saturday called for a political solution in Venezuela where the United States attacked and captured leader Nicolas Maduro.
“We call on all involved parties to avoid an escalation of the situation and to seek ways for a political settlement,” said a written communication obtained by Reuters after a crisis team had met at the ministry.
“International law has to be respected … Venezuelans deserve a peaceful and democratic future,” it added.
The ministry said it was in close contact with the embassy in Caracas and a travel warning had been issued.
Its note echoed statements by both the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who also has repeatedly said that Maduro “lacks legitimacy,” and from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who demanded the observance of international law.
German politicians and commentators on Saturday took mixed stances, with some applauding Maduro’s removal and others condemning what they called the abandonment of the rules-based order of the post-1945 Western world.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Vera Eckert; Editing by Toby Chopra)
