Latin America Slams Trump’s ’Military Options’ Threat on Beleaguered Venezuela Brian Ellsworth and Mitra Taj - Reuters
go to original August 12, 2017

Venezuela's defence minister says US military intervention in his country would be a 'crazy act'. This was his response after US President Donald Trump warned military action could be used to end the political crisis there. (Al Jazeera)

Update: Pence Latin America Tour Clouded by Trump Threat Against Venezuela (Agence France-Presse)

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 OPEC nation.

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 of solidarity and rejection of the use of force from governments around the world, including Latin America," said Arreaza, in a short speech on Saturday.

... 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.

Read the rest at Reuters

Related: Mexico Against Military Option in Settlement of Venezuelan Crisis (Sputnik)

Related: Former Mexican President Vicente Fox to State Department: Take Away Trump's 'Atomic Toy' (The Hill)

Related: Latin American Experts United in Rejecting Trump's Threat to Venezuela (Xinhua)

Related: Venezuelan Defense Chief Calls Trump Military Threat 'Act of Craziness' (Newsweek)

Related: America Has a Long and Storied Socialist Tradition. Democratic Socialists Are Reviving It. (The Nation)

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