WASHINGTON, The United States, along with a number of countries, called for wisdom and restraint in Venezuela and the region. A joint statement on the aforementioned issue was released late Friday; signed by the US, UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada and a number of South American countries and others. The statement condemned the violence that claimed the lives of many Venezuelan protestors, after the presidential elections results came out, announcing the winning of outgoing president Nicolas Maduro, while the Venezuelan opposition claims that their candidate is the winner. It also called for the release of all detained protestors, including opposition representatives. Meanwhile, the statement underlined the need to respect democracy and the right of peaceful protesting. Earlier this month, the US recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the presidential elections winner by the majority of votes. Source: Kuwait News Agency