In what was viewed as a heavy diplomatic blow to Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro regime, the Organization of American States on Tuesday formally recognized the ambassador appointed by interim President Juan Guaido as the legitimate representative of that nation.
The resolution, protested by the Maduro-appointed delegation and by representatives of some allied nations, was approved by the Permanent Council of the OAS with 18 votes in favor, nine against and six abstentions. Belize was not present for the vote.
The move means that Gustavo Tarre, the ambassador appointed by Venezuela's National Assembly, of which Guaido serves as president, will now serve as head of Venezuela's diplomatic delegation to the OAS and will have full power to appoint the members of its mission.
The credentials issued to Maduro's delegation will be revoked, barring them from entry into the OAS headquarters in Washington, and their diplomatic visas could eventually be canceled by the U.S. government, OAS ambassadors later told journalists.
"It is a historic day for the OAS because as of today Venezuela will have a representative who truly represents the Venezuelan people," said Carlos Trujillo, U.S. ambassador to the organization.
"We are recognizing Ambassador Tarre as permanent representative, and he has the right, like any ambassador, to submit the people who are accredited to be part of his mission," he added.
The vote was immediately rejected by Maduro's Foreign Ministry in Caracas, which issued a statement saying that Venezuela had been the victim of a new plot orchestrated from Washington.
"This is one of the most unfortunate decisions taken in this organization's long history of legal and political outrages, a vulgar manipulation of blackmail and pressure against member states to satisfy the wishes of Washington's neo-Monroeist policy," the Foreign Ministry said.
Headed by Maduro's mission, the nine countries that voted against the resolution argued that the highly important issue being discussed should not be settled by a simple majority in the Permanent Council, but by a qualified majority (24 votes) in a General Assembly, the highest gathering of the OAS.
The motion was modified at the last minute by Jamaica to establish in writing that Tarre is accepted as "designated permanent representative of the National Assembly, pending the holding of new elections and the appointment of a democratically elected government."
The original version declared Tarre as a representative of the Venezuelan state. The modified language led to speculation that the situation might lead to two different Venezuelan diplomatic missions at the OAS, with one of them tied to Maduro.
The ambassadors, however, rejected this possibility, saying that adding the National Assembly reference to a resolution does not make it a partial recognition because the legislative body is the only legitimately elected Venezuelan institution.
The OAS had already had declared that it did not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro's second presidential term, claiming that his re-election last May was fraudulent. The organization also already recognizes Guaido as the legitimate Venezuelan head of state, with a majority of the OAS members forming part of the more than 50 nations doing the same as individual nations.
Following the vote, Tarre told reporters that it was great news for the Venezuelan people, who he said are suffering under the Maduro regime.
"It means that the usurpation of the Venezuelan seat at the OAS has ended," Tarre said. "Consequently, and in line with President Guaido's roadmap, this is another step to the end of the usurpation in Caracas, the establishment of a transition government and of free elections."
