The Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil voiced deep concern over growing US threats of military action against Venezuela. In an interview, Celso Amorim dismissed attempts to link Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to terrorism. Amorim warned that the deployment of US forces near Venezuela and the authorisation of covert CIA operations by US President Donald Trump have heightened tensions in the Caribbean, and raised alarm across Latin America. He stressed that any conflict in the region must be resolved through dialogue and respect for national sovereignty.

 

 

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has said that the country will not accept any government subservient to the United States. He urged Venezuelans to remember that some opposition leaders have previously called for foreign intervention and sanctions against the country. He denounced recent US manoeuvres near Venezuelan waters, saying they have intimidated local fishermen, and called the situation the greatest threat in a century.