Meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs&nbsp;(AFET) with Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela in the EP in Brussels. Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Ramon JAUREGUI ATONDO (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, Luis de GRANDES PASCUAL (EPP, ES), Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community, Javier NART (ALDE, ES) and Javier COUSO PERMUY (GUE/NGL, ES).

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

meeting

JÁUREGUI ATONDO, Ramón (S&D, ES)

COUSO PERMUY, Javier (GUE/NGL, ES)

NART, Javier (Renew, ES)

BORGES, Julio (VE)

EU - Venezuela (T)

de GRANDES PASCUAL, Luis (EPP, ES)

Exchange of views with Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela: extracts from the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Atmosphere shots at the EP AFET Committee, arrival of MEPs

Arrival of Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, greetings to MEPs

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, The situation in my country as you have been able to see in the news is a situation which is going much further than a mere ideological or political problem. The real dimension of the problems in Venezuela reflect a question of humanitarian values, and it has lead to a crisis which is a humanitarian crisis now.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, We are promoting the idea that a group of countries from South America can organise themselves to help achieving the democratic agenda, something that Venezuela badly needs. We don&rsquo;t want violence in our country, we don&rsquo;t want to see a coup d&rsquo;&eacute;tat, we don&rsquo;t to want to have a military rupture. The only thing we want is the possibility and the right to see in Venezuela free elections, without political prisoners, without a disqualified Parliament, a country where human rights are respected and where a humanitarian corridor is open for aid on food and medicines; a country in security without repression, because that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve got right now, repression.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, What we ask from the EU and the EP is to please help us so that the democratic agenda is the one which will govern our country, and that we overcome this repression, this violation of human rights, and that there will be punishment for all those violations. We need now more than ever the EU to accompany Venezuela in its seek for a peaceful vote and a peaceful democracy and a united future for all and every one of us. Applause

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Ram&#243;n J&#193;UREGUI ATONDO (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly , I would like to ask you if you are willing or not to participate in the Constituent Assembly elections proposed by Maduro. If we have elections coming up in July are you going to accept this? It&rsquo;s a very important question for us, and also I&rsquo;d like to say that in the same way that your parents were welcomed in Venezuela, there is now more than 4000 Venezuela&rsquo;s asking for residence in Spain and from here I want to ask the Spanish government to allow for it.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Luis de GRANDES PASCUAL (EPP, ES), Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community, Today more than ever it is of utmost important that the UEA will pronounce itself in unequivocal manner in favour of freedom and that with in its powers and legitimacy will put pressure, also besides the UN, to gain momentum so the Venezuelan government will have to negotiate for a democratic way out to this crisis; and with a real dialogue not a trapped one.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Javier NART (ALDE, ES), If the alternative to Maduro is not to lose the elections but the Madurismo, what are the real capacities for mediation or for negotiation with a power that knows that its alternative is possibly jail??

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Javier COUSO PERMUY (GUE/NGL, ES), Fight in those elections! (regional in 2017 and presidential in 2018) Sit down to dialogue and resolve peacefully. It&rsquo;s not only me who says this, UNASUR says so, several former Presidents, the EU Council during its meeting on the 15 of May, even the Pope. Or, what are you expecting? A civil war? Or a foreign intervention?

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Julio BORGES, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, We don&rsquo;t see another solution rather than the one of Venezuelan people freely voting and have their vote respected. I think we are all willing to agree on that.