MONTEVIDEO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Any humanitarian aid for Venezuela should be delivered under the oversight of the United Nations (UN), Uruguay's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ariel Bergamino said on Monday.
"We believe the humanitarian aid should be delivered in keeping with the UN protocols, in order not to politicize it or create situations like Saturday's," Bergamino told state-run radio network RNU.
Violence escalated during the weekend when the convoy of U.S. aid trucks was blocked by soldiers and armed groups loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who suspected the aid was aimed at introducing military aid for an attempted coup by the country's Washington-backed opposition.
Saturday's aid standoff generated "tension at a time when initiatives are underway to try and bring the different sides closer together to reach an understanding towards a peaceful and democratic solution to the current crisis," he said.
Backing the call for dialogue with no preconditions, Uruguay's foreign ministry on Sunday expressed its "deep concern" about clashes between Venezuelan security forces and opponents at several border crossing points.
Earlier this month, Uruguay signed a document issued by the International Contact Group on Venezuela calling for early presidential elections to resolve the political power struggle between the two camps.
Maduro rejected the document, but said his government is open to talks with the opposition.
The International Contact Group on Venezuela was formed on Feb. 7 in Montevideo to address the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis. It was jointly sponsored by the governments of Mexico and Uruguay.
