Washington, June 6 (RHC)-- Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has condemned the illegal resolution approved during the session of the Organization of American States.   The resolution proposed by the United States to suspend Venezuela from the OAS needed at least 24 votes, however, they only obtained 19 with 11 abstentions.

"Venezuela absolutely rejects the decisions that have been taken today by those 19 countries and we guarantee that we are going forward with our people to face the difficulties and we will solve our problems among Venezuelans without their interventions in our country.  Venezuela is free and sovereign," said the Venezuelan minister.

During the OAS session, Arreaza affirmed that Venezuela voluntarily withdrew from the organization because it does not help the peoples of the Americas, "as it has been demonstrated today and what it does is to generate conditions for interventionism and interference to violate international law."

The Venezuelan leader also stated in response to efforts to force Venezuela to accept humanitarian help: "The U.S. says that they are going to send humanitarian help to Venezuela.  But they are not even able to help Puerto Rico, why would they help Venezuela?

Also, the Venezuelan official called for the lifting of sanctions and the unlocking of the nation's funds, and not for more sanctions to be imposed.  "We are concerned that we Venezuelans organize ourselves democratically to solve our problems (...) Lift the sanctions against Venezuela and will be able to get ahead with our own resources," Arreaza said.

While the body approved a motion to include the suspension of Venezuela in its agenda, the resolution still needed approval from the foreign ministers of at least 24 of the 35 member States.

The resolution was proposed by the U.S. and backed by the 14 countries that integrate the so-called Lima Group: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia.

The Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados also voted in favor of the resolution.

The 11 countries that abstained were: Surinam, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Uruguay, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Haiti and Nicaragua.  

Venezuela, Bolivia, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines voted against.