Maduro Dares US to Punish Venezuela
HAVANA TIMES – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has dismissed statements by US officials warning about the possibility of sanctions against his country and even dared the superpower to carry out its threats, DPA reported.
“There’s a very malicious plan at work here. The United States should not meddle in this, it should not intervene in the internal affairs of Venezuela or threaten us with sanctions. They’re saying ‘either you hold talks, or we sanction you’. Well, go ahead, sanction us! One is tempted to say that, but that’s when people start telling you to keep your tone down,” Maduro railed.
Maduro said that statements by US officials suggesting the possibility of imposing sanctions on Venezuelan government representatives are ridiculous. “One is tempted to say to them: ‘you’re ridiculous!’ They’re talking about imposing sanctions on us, individually,” he declared angrily.
These words were spoken during the televised “Talks for Peace” Maduro held Thursday night with the opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (“Democratic Unity Platform, or MUD), which seeks to put an end to protests by the opposition that have already caused 39 deaths and left hundreds of people injured.
US Senate and House of Representatives members have called on the Obama administration to impose sanctions on high officials of the Venezuelan government in response to the repressive actions taken against protests, a possibility the Democratic leadership hasn’t discarded but which appears remote at the moment.
Maduro accused the US government, and Secretary of State John Kerry in particular, of contacting Latin American governments to announce the possible collapse of the Venezuelan economy and undermine regional support for his government.
“The US government has openly and publicly declared this and told Latin American governments that Venezuela is heading towards a crash and economic collapse. I’ve been thinking a gerat deal about this,” he stated.
The Venezuelan president then warned that the United States could try to make Venezuela’s economy “squeal”, as it did with Chilean socialist president Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by a coup d’état backed by Washington in 1973.
Maduro however expressed his confidence in the solidity of Venezuela’s socialist economic model, established by the late Hugo Chavez, and dismissed all talk of a possible collapse of the oil-producing country.
The gathering at the Presidential Palace lasted until 2:00 in the morning and saw the participation of opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who was the last to take the floor before Maduro’s closing remarks.
A delegation of representatives of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) was present at the meeting. Papal nuncio Aldo Giordano was also present and read a letter from the pope, urging the parties to come to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Venezuela is Cuba’s closest political ally and the exchange of oil for professional services (doctors, educators, etc) between the two countries is vital for the island’s economy.
Apples and oranges. We would buy oil from the Devil himself before we let the lack of fuel change how we live. Not a pretty picture, but its a reality.
Sorry Moses, but how is buying more oil from Saudi Arabia going to help the human rights situation over there? I am absolutely no fan of Maduro but compared to the Royal Saudi family he is a little fish. The number of countries with a worse human rights record than Saudi Arabia can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Many of the problems haunting the United States in particular and the West in general are a result of the strategic alliance between the West and Saudi Arabia including 9/11.
Btw, Cuba does not have the slightest problems with misogyny in Saudi Arabia and the death penalty including the stoning of women either as this rather excited press release by the Cuban embassy in Saudi Arabia shows http://www.cubaminrex.cu/en/visit-cuba-assistant-foreign-minister-saudi-arabia
It is not as simple as you paint it. The “left” in Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and even Argentina is no more left than the social democratic policy in most northern European countries. The US has no problem with these progressives because they still believe in private enterprise and a free press. The left in Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela are borderline totalitarians who change their constitutions to ensure ‘President-for-life’ terms and are engaged in a concerted war on free speech and private enterprise. The new “currency system” in Venezuela has exacerbated the black market in USD which is hardly stabilizing. Don’t believe Venezuelan government press reports. Venezuelans with dollars are even more resolute to export those dollars leaving the government in even greater desperation to attract hard currency. Venezuela has less than 2 months in real reserves. For a national government that is a disaster. International debt-rating agencies have categorized Venezuelan debt as “junk”. Gold deposits often held out as reserves are, in fact, collateral for loans from China and are not free to be used to purchase imports. Your facts are wrong. Very wrong.
The United States has believed its own propaganda about Venezuela, its new currency system is stabilizing inflation, their reserves are very high, the overwhelming majority of the poeple are against the oppositions’ violence and Maduro still has a majority support in the polls. What is this penchant of the United States isolating itself from Latin America? Beyond the puppet governments of Panama and the crazy Cuban colony of Miami the OEA showed its support for Maduron, the FMNL won in El Salvador, Dilma (former guerrila) is still in power and supporting Maduro, Mujica (former Tupamaro), Sandinistas are still in power, Michebachellet re elected (many communist in parliament) etc etc. Keep on with this stupid policy and even Mexico will go left!
Add to that that Venezuelan crude is of a type that needs special treatment in refining. It would be hard for Maduro to find other clients quickly as they most often don’t have the right equipment.
The US should call ‘Ma-Burro’s’ bluff. American oil companies purchase as much as 40% of Venezuelan crude oil that is sold at market prices. This is the single largest source of hard currency to the Venezuelan treasury. Yet, Venezuelan oil amounts to no more than 5% of US consumption. What this means is that if we stopped buying Venezuelan oil, they are screwed economically. The impact of Venezuelan oil for the US market is easily replaced by increasing Saudi imports. US oil refineries also produce as much as 30% of Venezuelan gasoline and other petroleum products. Again, they have much more to lose. In a week or so, Maduro will be sucking up to the US again asking for dialogue.