04/08/2004 (Agence Europe) - A declaration by the Dutch EU Presidency on behalf of the European Union regrets it is unable to deploy an observer mission for the referendum on revocation of the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, to be held on 15 August. The conditions usually set out for an EU observer mission have not been obtained from the Venezuelan authorities. The European Union, however, "calls on all sides to ensure that the referendum is conducted in a transparent and fair manner" and that its result will be accepted by all parties. It also insists on how important this referendum, considering it to be "an important step towards a constitutional, democratic solution to the longstanding political crisis in Venezuela".