Pence announces new sanctions in effort to unseat Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Anne Gearan, Anthony Faiola and Carol Morello February 25 at 12:05 PM

BOGOTA, Colombia — In a meeting with regional leaders, Vice President Pence on Monday announced minor new U.S. sanctions against loyalists of President Nicolás Maduro and called on other nations to follow the Trump administration’s lead in freezing the assets of Venezuela’s state oil giant PDVSA — a move meant to further cut Maduro’s international cash flow.

Following a weekend that saw the Venezuela military and pro-government militias violently put down an opposition attempt to break Maduro’s blockade of humanitarian aid, Pence arrived in Bogota to reiterate that Washington will not back away from diplomatic confrontation. His trip comes as some in the Venezuelan opposition have begun openly calling for the use of “force” to oust Maduro’s socialists from power.

Pence did not publicly back immediate military force, but reiterated a long standing administration stance that all options were being considered.

“As we continue to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on the Maduro regime, we hope for a peaceful transition to democracy, but as President Trump has made clear, all options are on the table,” Pence said.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-to-address-regional-leaders-about-unseating-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro/2019/02/25/afd5da74-390c-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html