Latin America slams Trump's Venezuela 'military options' threat

[rooster59]

Latin America slams Trump's Venezuela 'military options' threat

By Brian Ellsworth and Mitra Taj

 

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza delivers a speech in front of a graffiti of Venezuela's national hero Simon Bolivar, during a meeting of accredited diplomatic teams in Caracas, Venezuela August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

 

CARACAS/LIMA (Reuters) - After months of attacking Venezuela's unpopular President Nicolas Maduro, Latin America came out strongly against U.S. threats of military action against the struggling OPECnation. U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise comments on Friday may give beleaguered leftist leader Maduro a regional boost, just as Venezuela was on verge of becoming a pariah.

 

Following Trump's comment on Friday that military intervention in Venezuela was an option, Maduro's critics are caught between backing the idea of a foreign invasion of Venezuela or supporting a president they call a dictator.

 

The surprise escalation of Washington's response to Venezuela's crisis came as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was set to begin a regional trip on Sunday that will bring him to Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and Panama.Venezela's powerful Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Friday disparaged U.S. threats as "craziness" and Foreign minister Jorge Arreaza said on Saturday Venezuela rejected "hostile" threats, calling on Latin America to unite against Washington.

 

"We want to express gratitude for all the expressions ofsolidarity and rejection of the use of force from governments around the world, including Latin America," said Arreaza, in a short speech on Saturday.

 

"Some of these countries have recently taken positions absolutely contrary to our sovereignty and independence but still have rejected the declarations of the U.S. president." It was one of Maduro's fiercest critics, Peru, that led the charge slamming Trump, saying his threat was against U.N. principles. Mexico and Colombia joined in with statements of their own.

 

Regional alliance Mercosur added that it rejected the use of force against Venezuela, despite having indefinitely suspended the country last week.

 

Peru is negotiating a written response with other nations in the region, Foreign Minister Ricardo Luna said in a statement sent exclusively to Reuters on Saturday. The statement came the day after Peru expelled Venezuela's ambassador in Lima.

 

“All foreign or domestic threats to resort to force undermine the goal of reinstating democratic governance in Venezuela, as well as the principles enshrined in the UN charter,” said Luna.

 

Peru under President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has taken the toughest stance yet toward Venezuela's socialist government, and has openly called Maduro a "dictator". Venezuela is undergoing a major economic and social crisis, with millions suffering food and medicine shortages, soaring inflation and months-long anti-government unrest that has killed more than 120 people.

 

Maduro has faced withering criticism from around the world for leading the formation of an all-powerful legislature that critics call the creation of a dictatorship. He says it will bring peace to the OPEC member nation.

 

The ruling Socialist Party has for years accused the United States of plotting an invasion as a way of controlling its oil reserves, the world's largest, through a military intervention similar to the Iraq war.

 

Previous U.S. administrations had brushed this off as politicized rhetoric meant to distract from Venezuela's domestic problems.

 

Under former President Barack Obama, the State Department in 2015 made quiet diplomatic overtures that led to several high-level meetings. The effort ultimately foundered as Maduro hardened his stance against opposition critics.

 

Venezuela's Information Minister Vladimir Villegas on Saturday tweeted a picture of the Statue of Liberty holding a machine gun instead of a torch, and a link to an article describing, "A Chronology of U.S. 'Military Options' in Latam and the Caribbean."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-13

[StraightTalk]

Since the JFK administration USA is the undisputed and foremost warmongering country on this planet!

[boomerangutang]

Imagine if Argentina and Brazil formed a coalition and threatened to rain bombs on Wash. DC unless Trump started saying reasonable things.   I don't think the Pentagon would take too kindly to that.

[rijb]

50 minutes ago, SouthernDelight said:

Since the JFK administration USA is the undisputed and foremost warmongering country on this planet!

Prove it.

[StraightTalk]

57 minutes ago, rijb said:

Prove it.

Do your own research!

Iranian coup d'état, No Gun Ri Massacre (IKE), My Lai Massacre, The Cuba fiasco, Secret Carpet Bombings of Cambodia and Laos, Vietnam - Agent Orange, Iran–Contra affair, The Collapse of most Middle East Nations, Internal Affairs Interferences in most African and South & Central American Nations, Pine Gap Australia, Revelations made public by Snowden and Wikileaks... just to mention a few.

 

[rijb]

29 minutes ago, SouthernDelight said:

Do your own research!

Iranian coup d'état, No Gun Ri Massacre (IKE), My Lai Massacre, The Cuba fiasco, Secret Carpet Bombings of Cambodia and Laos, Vietnam - Agent Orange, Iran–Contra affair, The Collapse of most Middle East Nations, Internal Affairs Interferences in most African and South & Central American Nations, Pine Gap Australia, Revelations made public by Snowden and Wikileaks... just to mention a few.

 

Here you go.  

 

Definition of warmonger

:  one who urges or attempts to stir up war

[onthesoi]

5 minutes ago, rijb said:

Definition of warmonger

:  one who urges or attempts to stir up war

 

Definition of non-sequitar

: a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.

[rijb]

Just now, onthesoi said:

 

Definition of non-sequitar

: a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.

What's the definition of one who doesn't read previous posts before jumping in and looking silly?

[Salerno]

1 minute ago, rijb said:

What's the definition of one who doesn't read previous posts before jumping in and looking silly?

A Thai Visa board member? 

[onthesoi]

5 minutes ago, rijb said:

What's the definition of one who doesn't read previous posts before jumping in and looking silly?

 

I read the whole thread, including the part where you asked a stupid question that you could have answered yourself after 30 secs on google ...then attempted to smoke screen your backtrack with a random and unrelated comment.

Edited August 13, 2017 by onthesoi

[rijb]

5 minutes ago, onthesoi said:

 

I read the whole thread, including the part where you asked a stupid question that you could have answered yourself after 30 secs on google ...then attempted to smoke screen your backtrack with a random and unrelated comment.

You should have quit when you were behind.  

[Dave67]

That's Simon Bolivar in the background the liberator of Venuazuala for the Spanish, quite symbolic for this subject. Of course, there will be loud whooshing noise above Trump's head as he misses the point.

[ilostmypassword]

21 hours ago, rijb said:

Prove it.

Vietnam and the 2nd Iraq war are proof enough.

[rijb]

2 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Vietnam and the 2nd Iraq war are proof enough.

Iraq, yes.  Vietnam, no.  However, American people were lied to in both cases.

[Scott]

Troll post removed.   Stop with the baiting and flaming.