Trump imposes total U.S. freeze on Venezuelan government assets

[webfact]

Trump imposes total U.S. freeze on Venezuelan government assets

 

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Morristown municipal airport en route to Washington after a weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States on Monday, sharply escalating a diplomatic and sanctions drive aimed at removing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.

 

The executive order signed by Trump goes well beyond the sanctions imposed in recent months against Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA and the country's financial sector, as well as measures against dozens of Venezuelan officials.

 

"All property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States ... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in," according to the executive order released by the White House.

 

The scope of the announcement came as a surprise even to some Trump administration allies. "This is big," said Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank.

 

Quintana said it appeared the order would be a sweeping embargo on doing business with Venezuela, although she was awaiting further details.

 

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond immediately to a request to comment.

 

The United States and most Western nations have called for Maduro to step down and have recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president.

 

Guaido appointed a board for Citgo Petroleum, Venezuela's most important foreign asset, earlier this year.

 

Trump said on Thursday he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela, although he did not elaborate at the time on when or how such a blockade would be imposed.

 

He is taking more dramatic action after numerous rounds of sanctions failed to turn Venezuela's military against Maduro or make significant progress in dislodging him.

 

U.S. officials have long said they had other weapons in their economic arsenal, even as they privately expressed frustration that European partners and others had not taken stronger steps and that the months-long pressure campaign had not made more headway.

 

China and Russia have continued to back Maduro, prompting U.S. national security adviser John Bolton to warn the two countries on Monday against doubling down in their support for him.

 

Bolton said he would give a speech on Tuesday at a gathering of more than 50 countries in Lima, Peru, that would outline a planned U.S. initiative to lead to a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela.

 

Moscow and Beijing turned down invitations to attend.

 

(Reporting by Makini Brice, Eric Beech, Matt Spetalnick, and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Angus Berwick in CARACAS; Editing by Sandra Maler and Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-06

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[from the home of CC]

I understand the action but in reality the ones who will really suffer are the people, this could be an impetus to civil war and huge numbers of civilian deaths, perhaps that's the goal..

[mrfill]

4 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

I understand the action but in reality the ones who will really suffer are the people, this could be an impetus to civil war and huge numbers of civilian deaths, perhaps that's the goal..

Oil is the goal. Civilian deaths are, of course, quite acceptable when oil is the prize.

[from the home of CC]

5 minutes ago, mrfill said:

Oil is the goal. Civilian deaths are, of course, quite acceptable when oil is the prize.

yea, look at the Saudi's getting a pass from Trump for the genocide on Yemen..

[off road pat]

6 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

I understand the action but in reality the ones who will really suffer are the people, this could be an impetus to civil war and huge numbers of civilian deaths, perhaps that's the goal..

On May 12, 1996, Madeleine Albright defended UN sanctions against Iraq on a 60 Minutes segment in which Lesley Stahl asked her, "We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?" and Albright replied, "We think the price is worth it."

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Not offering any informed opinion on Venezuelan politics, but just a general question...

 

Is there any country/leader that Trump as U.S. president actually likes and gets along with other than North Korea/Kim, Russia/Putin and Saudi Arabia/Al Saud?

 

That list would seem to be pretty darned short, and clearly doesn't/hasn't included many/any of the U.S.'s traditional allies.  Quite the company Trump is keeping...

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[4675636b596f75]

I lived in Venezuela. The majority of my lifelong friends are Venezuelan.  The lot of you know nothing about the country or the destruction of a once great nation.  

 

Keep blathering about what you don't know.

 

Good on Trump, my friends are suffering while Maduro stuffs his gob with cream puffs.

[TTL2]

This is very expected and was talked many months ago in other forum, when US can't Face-Off with Iran it will prey on the weaken neighbor as usual.

[Thingamabob]

Good move.

[TGIR]

Our neighbor, a lady in her 80's from Venezuela,  was visiting her family here and has been unable to return home for nearly a year.  If the U.S. doesn't intercede somehow to get rid of Maduro, people will continue to starve, have no gainful employment, no medicine, no life!  For once in a long time I am happy we are going to interfere in another country's affairs.   It is beyond past time for someone to help them get rid of the P.O.S. who is so in love with himself he is letting his country and it's citizens die a slow death.  Just like the P.O.S. in Syria.

 

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.

 

[Jingthing]

Foreign policies need to be looked at on a case by case basis.

I find it totally irrational to bring Iran policy into this discussion about Venezuela. 

The current occupant of the white house wanted an easy foreign policy win a while back when he thought he could help topple Maduro. 
It turned out to not be easy at all.

But toppling Maduro, in my opinion, would be a very good thing for the people of Venezuela and the entire Latin American region. 

But it's obvious the U.S. doesn't actually want to go to war for this goal. That's understandable and defensible. I don't think the American people want to go to war for this either.

So other tactics are being used such as this recent one. 

But it's very messy and not black and white.

Will it really help accomplish the goal?

If so, would the new government be any better?

How many and how badly are innocent people hurt by such policies?

There are no easy answers for situations like this.

That's why it's very important for nations to have competent leaders (read that line as you will). 

[meand]

12 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

I understand the action but in reality the ones who will really suffer are the people, this could be an impetus to civil war and huge numbers of civilian deaths, perhaps that's the goal..

THere is no could about it.

 

Sanctions are essentially like dropping bombs on the weak women and children, only difference being the deaths do not happen as fast so it is somehow acceptable. The weakest, eg pregnant women, are most vulnerable to sanctions. 

 

Sanctions need much more oversight internationally. It is essentially terrorism. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by meand

[meand]

25 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Foreign policies need to be looked at on a case by case basis.

I find it totally irrational to bring Iran policy into this discussion about Venezuela. 

The current occupant of the white house wanted an easy foreign policy win a while back when he thought he could help topple Maduro. 
It turned out to not be easy at all.

But toppling Maduro, in my opinion, would be a very good thing for the people of Venezuela and the entire Latin American region. 

But it's obvious the U.S. doesn't actually want to go to war for this goal. That's understandable and defensible. I don't think the American people want to go to war for this either.

So other tactics are being used such as this recent one. 

But it's very messy and not black and white.

Will it really help accomplish the goal?

If so, would the new government be any better?

How many and how badly are innocent people hurt by such policies?

There are no easy answers for situations like this.

That's why it's very important for nations to have competent leaders (read that line as you will). 

Do you really believe this stuff? Do you really believe the Venezuelan people would be better off with a US puppet to rule them? You should go ask them. Or, turn on a decent news channel. People need to understand this stuff before even having an opinion on it. Venezuelan people do not want, and would not be better off, with US appointed leaders to rule them, they also obviously do not want the death and destruction caused by the current leader's removal. 

 

Do you think we would be better off if China picked a leader for us? You can't really believe this stuff. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by meand

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, meand said:

Do you really believe this stuff? Do you really believe the Venezuelan people want a US puppet to rule them? You should go ask them. Or, turn on a decent news channel. People need to understand this stuff before even having an opinion on it. Venezuelan people do not want US appointed leaders to rule them, they also obviously do not want the death and destruction caused by the current leader's removal. 

I reject your question.

There is a broad coalition in Latin America that wants Maduro gone.

People that want to paint this as black and white and only about American imperialism aren't paying attention.

The people there are STARVING.

There are millions of REFUGEES.

Others, don't even bother addressing me with such one sided anti-American propaganda.

Yes. I detest the current occupant of the white house but I think most any U.S. president of any party would have joined the broad coalition on Latin America trying to extract the horrible corrupt murderous dictator of a failed state -- Maduro. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Jingthing

[meand]

On 8/6/2019 at 3:41 PM, mrfill said:

Oil is the goal. Civilian deaths are, of course, quite acceptable when oil is the prize.

They are acceptable through sanctions.

 

If we dropped bombs on them, killing as many women and children as the sanctions kill, that is not acceptable however. 

 

If anyone can explain that, i am all ears. But the fact is, sanctions are "bombs". Sanctions are terrorism. We kill their weakest citizens, we never get anything, and everyone accepts it. But they would not accept bombing. 

[Jingthing]

I also have reservations about the tactics (sanctions) but none whatsoever that the goal is a good one (forcing out Maduro). 

[klikster]

I'm wondering if all of Trump's "musical policies" might be a cover for a high-stakes money grab.

 

Assumptions:

 1 - Trump can have advanced knowledge re. the financial cause & effect of policy events on the stocks and commodities' markets.

 

 2 - Trump can order or "quietly suggest" policies that cause huge swings in stock and commodity prices across the globe.

 

 3 - Is the any reasonable doubt that Trump can borrow 100 million or so "off the books"?

 

 4 - Even if he wants to isolate himself (in name only), he "owns" so may billionaires i.e. Mnuchin than he can avoid direct involvement.

 

How much  money can he make on a few ( 700 point)  swings in the markets? He can use his power as POTUS the hide the evidence.

[4675636b596f75]

On 8/6/2019 at 11:38 PM, meand said:

they also obviously do not want the death and destruction caused by the current leader's removal. 

This has to be one of the most ignorant statements I've seen here.  The current leader of Venezuela, Maduro, IS responsible for the death and destruction.