The European Union on Monday urged the United States and Latin American powers against launching a military intervention to oust the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Venezuela's self-declared “interim president” Juan Guaido met with Mike Pence and Latin American leaders in neighbouring Colombia, to discuss the next steps in the crisis after a weekend of violence. Mr Guaido, arriving in Bogota on Sunday night ahead of the meeting of the Lima Group, called on the international community to consider "all measures to free" Venezuela. The meeting was the first time that Mr Guaido, who declared himself president a month ago, has travelled abroad to meet other world leaders, and he was received as a head of state, with the red carpet rolled out. Mr Guaido and President Donald Trump have repeatedly said that all options are open. Mr Pence was expected to announce on Monday night that they had decided to increase the sanctions on Nicolas Maduro, the embattled president of Venezuela. Ahead of the meeting four Venezuelan officials were added to the already extensive list of sanctioned individuals. On Monday he also called on Latin American allies to ramp up pressure on Caracas by transferring Venezuelan overseas assets to Mr Guaido. A spokesman for Federica Mogherini, the EU diplomatic chief, urged those gathered in Bogota to stop short of declaring war. "We must avoid a military intervention," said Maja Kocijancic. "What is explicitly quite clear, from our point of view, is that we need a peaceful political and democratic and Venezuelan-owned resolution of this crisis. "This obviously excludes the use of force." On Monday night Brazil definitively ruled out permitting military intervention from their territory, with the vice president saying it would not be allowed. Hours later Venezuela's government issued a statement accusing the US and the Lima Group countries of conducting "a ferocious campaign to oust" Maduro by trampling on basic international human rights. The statement also rejected Pence's announcements, accusing him of attempting "to give orders so that other countries join the vulgar plundering" that Washington is pursuing against Venezuela's assets. Venezuelan security forces clash with supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on the Venezuelan side f the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP Four people were killed and 300 injured in a bloody standoff on Venezuela’s borders with Colombia and Brazil, as Mr Guaido tried unsuccessfully to get humanitarian aid into the country. The aid convoys were abandoned by early afternoon on Saturday, with one truck laden with supplies going up in flames. Running battles took place throughout Saturday and Sunday, with frequent bloody skirmishes between Mr Maduro’s heavily-armed security forces and pro-Guaido youngsters, throwing rocks and quickly-improvised Molotov cocktails. At least 160 military officials have crossed over into Colombia and pledged allegiance to Mr Guaido, the Colombian migration service said on Sunday night. Many said they rejected the orders to fire on their own countrymen, and knew that the aid was desperately needed. Mr Pence said on Monday that the United States was preparing an additional $56 million (£43m) in humanitarian aid, adding after the meeting that they were exploring different avenues for getting it into Venezuela. He urged Latin American countries to take financial measures against Mr Maduro’s government, in particular PDVSA – the state-owned oil company. “We call on all Lima Group nations to immediately freeze the assets of PDVSA,” he said. “Secondly, transfer ownership of Venezuelan assets in your country from Maduro’s henchmen to President Guaido’s government.” The four sanctioned Venezuelans were the governors of Zulia, Apure, Vargas and Carabobo state. Rafael Alejandro Lacava, the governor of Carabobo and ally of Mr Maduro, goes by the nickname “Dracula” in reference to his habit of doing late-night street patrols.
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