EU urges peaceful solution in Venezuela

The EU yesterday urged all sides in Venezuela to abstain from violence and seek a political solution as the death toll mounts in clashes between the government and opposition.

Protests against leftist President Nicolas Maduro demanding early elections have left 38 dead since April 1, with many hundreds wounded and arrested.

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The EU said all parties should work towards a settlement which would allow "the establishment of an electoral calendar."

Mediation efforts have got nowhere, polarisation has increased, and the economic and social situation in the oil-rich country has got worse, said a statement approved by European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.

"Violence and the use of force will not resolve the crisis in the country," it said.

"The fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people must be respected, including the right to peacefully demonstrate."