The meeting also addressed terrorism and respect for the rule of law Budapest, 16 February 2018. The situation in Cuba and Venezuela, the upcoming elections in Mexico, the terrorist threat and the defense of the rule of law as well as the increasing denounces of corruption in Colombia were addressed during the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Centrist Democrat International (IDC-CDI) held today in Budapest. The IDC-CDI president, former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana, said that “the IDC-CDI wants to denounce the tragedy that the people of Venezuela are experiencing, and we demand that Nicolás Maduro stop manipulating the law.” He also lamented the fact that “once again Zapatero’s mediation has not yielded results.” A resolution passed today also condemns the expulsion of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, carried out “in retaliation for EU sanctions”. The meeting of leaders that followed the Executive Committee was attended by Antonio Ledezma, former mayor of Caracas, who reported and denounced the situation suffered by Venezuela’s 30 million citizens. For his part, IDC-CDI Secretary General Antonio López-Istúriz White call to the European Council to be determined in its sanctions to Venezuela. He also spoke about EU-Cuba relations following the new Agreement that came into force last November, and he appealed to EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini to demand “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms on the island in any negotiation or treaty with the country”, denouncing the fact that “in the last year the number of political prisoners and arbitrary arrests has increased considerably.” The approved resolution also calls for the release of Eduardo Cardet, coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement of Cuba, unjustly detained and sentenced to three years in prison. The IDC-CDI is asking the international community to follow with attention the elections to be held on 1 July in Mexico, in order to avoid any type of electoral fraud and expressed concern for the allegedly increase of corruption cases in Colombia. Terrorism and the rule of law During the meeting of the IDC-CDI, another document was approved urging the recognition of all victims of terrorism — “a fundamental aspect in the war against terror” — and for non-negotiation with terrorists, who operate outside the law. Another approved resolution makes explicit reference to Catalonia and the actions of the Government of Spain, which managed to “defend in an exemplary fashion the principles and values of the Rule of Law against the unconstitutional challenge posed by the previous Government of the Generalitat.” The text states that the constitutional order of a country must be respected in mature and modern democracies. Regarding the Conclusions on the Davos Summit, the IDC-CDI affirms that “it will support the policies of labour mobility, participation of disabled people, initiatives to support youth employment, equal pay, as well as stable and long-term hiring.” 12 new parties During the meeting, the accession demands of 12 new parties from Guinea Conakry, Georgia, Serbia, FYROM, Armenia, Hungary, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Romania. Among the attendees were Prime Ministers such as the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Corriea, Ministers like Serbian Minister for EU Affairs, Jadranka Joksimovic, former Heads of State and Government such as ex President of Lebanon, Amine Gemayel and former Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Jansan.   List of new member parties 1.PARTI DE L’ESPOIR POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT NATIONAL (PE.D.N.) of Guinea Conakry. 2.PARTY EUROPEAN GEORGIA-MOVEMENT FOR LIBERTY of Georgia. 3.PARTY ALLIANCE OF HUNGARIANS IN VOJVODINA (VMSZ) of Serbia. 4.DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF MACEDONIAN (VMRO-DPMNE) of FYROM 5.PARTY OF HUNGARIANS OF UKRAINE (KMKSZ) of Ukraine. 6.REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA (RPA) of Armenia. 7.CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S PARTY (KDNP) of Hungary. 8.PARTIDO RENOVACION NACIONAL of Chile. 10.PARTIDO MOVIMIENTO CREANDO OPORTUNIDADES (CREO) of Ecuador. 11.PARTIDO CENTRO DEMOCRÁTICO de Colombia. 12.DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE OF HUNGARIANS IN ROMANIA (RMDSZ).