Venezuela seeking to avoid a Syrian-style civil war
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Venezuela’s top diplomat said on Thursday his government was seeking to avoid a Syria-style civil war during a visit to long-time ally Damascus.
Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused the United States of fuelling the conflict, but said his government would rely on diplomacy to avoid a full-blown war.
“When President Assad described the stages before and the stages during the early days of the war on Syria, similarities with what we are experiencing in Venezuela were immediately noticeable,” he said during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart.
We have “the same enemy with the same interests”, he said, referring to the US. “With the help of our friends, we have to avoid war, to stop the war,” he added.
The United States has added two oil-sector companies and 34 vessels to a sanctions list aimed at forcing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
A Treasury Department announcement said the companies and vessels are being used to ship fuel to Cuba or in other aspects of the oil industry and help support the Maduro government.
The US imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry in January to cut off the government’s most important source of revenue.
Meanwhile the US renewed calls for Moscow to withdraw its military personnel from Venezuela, where they are helping prop up embattled President Nicolas Maduro.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Friday that he’s seen no signs the Russian personnel were leaving and that Moscow’s involvement might “get worse before it gets better”.
The Kremlin has rejected US calls for Moscow to withdraw, saying US troops are in many parts of the world and no one is telling the US where it should or shouldn’t be.
Photo: President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaido speaks during an event, in Caracas, Venezuela, 05 April 2019.
