MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Latin American countries have strongly condemned the United States' threat of military intervention against crisis-stricken Venezuela.

Despite criticizing what it views as a breakdown of democracy in Venezuela, Peru said it rejected any kind of threats or use of force unauthorized by the United Nations and called for dialogues among related parties.

"All foreign or domestic threats to resort to force undermine the goal of reinstating democratic governance in Venezuela, as well as the principles enshrined in the UN charter," Peru's Foreign Minister Ricardo Luna said in a statement on Saturday.

Negotiation is the only way to restore stability in Venezuela, it said.

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened that he would not rule out a "military option" in Venezuela.

His remarks came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas over Venezuela's newly-elected legislative body National Constituent Assembly, which has supreme power over all government branches.

It was strongly opposed by Venezuela's right-wing opposition, who claimed that the 545-member assembly would only to strengthen the power of the ruling party.

The struggle between the two sides intensified the country's monthslong political crisis, which led to violent confrontations and left more than 100 people dead.

Colombia, Bolivia and Mexico were also critical.

"Despite the current difficulties of reaching a peaceful and negotiated solution, we still believe that is the right path to find long-term solutions for the people of Venezuela," the Colombian government said.

The statements came as US Vice-President Mike Pence launched a Latin America tour on Sunday.

The weeklong trip, aimed at coordinating a regional diplomatic action to the political crisis in Caracas, begins in Colombia before moving to Argentina, Chile and Panama.

The tour is likely to be dominated by Venezuela and how US "partners and friends" were looking to the "future" regarding that country, while others were stuck in the "past", a senior US administration official said.

Xinhua - Afp

(China Daily 08/14/2017 page11)