Venezuela is not seeking military confrontation with the United States or any other region, Foreign Minister Yván Gil told CNN.
The speech occurs after the fatal attack of the US Navy to a vessel allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean and while tensions with Washington grow.
“We are not betting on conflict, nor do we want conflict,” Gil said during the interview at Casa Amarilla, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela in Caracas, on Monday (8).
The relationship between the US and Venezuela has long been precarious. But now it has become particularly tense under Trump’s two terms, which adopted a hard line against President Nicolás Maduro, including recognition of the country’s opposition leader after a widely criticized election.
A CNN He interviewed Gil as they move to the Caribbean and after Washington announced the duplication of the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $ 50 million.
And on September 2, the US performed a lethal attack on a quick speedboat that, according to them, was carrying drugs in international waters and had departed from Venezuela, feeding suspicions in Caracas that Washington is trying to overthrow the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro has since mobilized about 4.5 million militiamen to defend the country, in response to what he calls “imperialism” from the US.
Although he ruled out a military escalation from tensions, Venezuelan foreign minister said his country is prepared to stop any possible threat.
“We are denying the possibility of conflict because we are prepared to stop any mobilization and we have a clear determination to defend our homeland,” said Yván Gil.
A CNN He asked Gil why he was asking the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the attack on the boat when the Venezuela government called the “hypocrite” body due to its multiple convictions to Venezuela’s own human rights history.
In response, the minister said Venezuela “never questioned” the defense of human rights, but admitted that Venezuela “criticized the actions of some bureaucrats” in the UNUDH (Alto Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights).
The UNUDH, the US and other countries have accused the mature government of frequent repression of its political opponents, human rights abuses in the country, and the weakening of democracy.
Caracas Questions
About the US attack on the boat that, according to the Pentagon, was carrying drugs, Gil said in an interview with CNN That, in his opinion, there was no clarity about what happened.
“They (the US officers) without clarifying many things. It’s not clear where it was, who was on board, or if it really happened or not. The only thing we saw was a video, nothing more,” said the Foreign Minister.
“It would not be appropriate” at this moment talk about possible military alliances with other Latin American countries and the region, as, according to Gil, they maintain a “pro-person” stance.
In this sense, Gil referred to the position of Celac (community of Latin American and Caribbean states), who recently expressed his “deep concern” with.
“The community of Latin American and Caribbean states issued a firm and categorical statement asking for respect for the peace zone decreed in 2014,” said the minister.
Among those sent to the Caribbean is a nuclear propulsion submarine – which is not equipped with nuclear weapons – authorities said prior to CNN.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the order of US President Donald Trump to destroy the boat and warned that this strategy “will happen again,” instead of the alternative to intercept suspicious vessels.
“The United States has long used technology established to intervene and approach drug trafficking boats. But it doesn’t work because these drug cartels know they will lose 2% of their load. What will stop them is if the boats will destroy,” said the secretary of state.
Venezuelan foreign minister stated that Washington’s narrative about the incident “seeks to legitimize illegal action.”
The Trump administration has so far avoided legislators and provided a confusing mix of public justifications that raise serious questions about the legality of the attack, according to legal experts and sources of Congress that they reported prior to CNN.
Rubio had said before CNN: “I won’t talk to the White House lawyer, just say that all these measures have been taken in advance.”
Yván Gil has also rejected recent accusations of the Trump administration that Maduro is the alleged leader of the Aragua Tren cartel and as such commands alleged drug trafficking operations throughout the continent.
“It is totally false that the Venezuelan state or its leaders have the slightest relationship with drug trafficking,” Gil said, attributing these accusations to political groups in the US that seek to press the Maduro government.
“A narrative was built within the United States by the team surrounding President Trump, trying to link us to drug trafficking. It worries me, as Latin American, that they are trying to impose this narrative,” he said.
“More than 25,000 people are mobilized on the Colombian border, in coordination with the Colombian state, fighting drug trafficking,” he told the CNN.
Any solution to current US and Venezuela tensions should be political, Gil said, and reiterated that the way forward is the dialogue. He also echoed Maduro’s statements about the existence of “damaged” but open communication channels.
“After sending eight ships to destroy a rock, which they (the US) wonder if it is worth it. We will not give up, we will continue here, governing, advancing, building, happy,” he added.
