Marco Rubio Urges Obama to Lobby OAS on Venezuela

From his perch on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has been sharply critical of the Venezuelan regimes crackdown on protesters in recent days, praised the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday for gearing up to take action against that South American nation -- and asked President Barack Obama to lobby OAS members.

Panama has asked for the OAS to hold a foreign ministers meeting on Venezuela. The OAS will hold a vote on Panamas request on Thursday.

First of all, I commend the government and people of Panama for their solidarity with the Venezuelan people in recognizing the seriousness of the violent crackdown of peaceful demonstrations in Venezuela, Rubio said. This is an opportunity for the OAS to reclaim its rightful place as the forum to address key issues affecting the Western Hemisphere and reaffirm the hard-fought democratic gains of the last four decades.

President Obama has said that this is his year to use his pen and phone for action, Rubio added. Now, this is legitimately a time for President Obama to pick up his phone and encourage OAS member states to take part at Thursdays meeting and support Panamas request for a serious review of the Venezuelan governments actions against peaceful demonstrations. This is the moment for truly democratic nations to stand up and be counted on the side of the Venezuelan people and democracy in the hemisphere.