Venezuela’s deposed president, Nicolas Maduro, is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in New York at noon on Monday to be formally informed of the charges against him, the court has confirmed.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by US forces during a pre-dawn raid in Caracas on Saturday and flown to New York to face charges of “narcoterrorism” linked to the alleged trafficking of tonnes of cocaine into the United States.
Regional and international pushback
Meanwhile, a group of Latin American countries and Spain have warned against any external attempt to assume “control” of Venezuela following comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting Washington would “run” the country and gain access to its oil resources.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain expressed their “rejection” of the removal of Maduro by US forces and voiced “concern about any attempt at governmental control, administration, or external appropriation of Venezuela’s natural or strategic resources.”
Trump warns interim leader
President Trump also issued a warning to Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, saying she would pay a “very big price” if she failed to cooperate with the United States.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic in a brief telephone interview.
The Trump administration has indicated it is willing to work with remaining elements of the Venezuelan government, provided US objectives are met, including opening the country’s vast crude oil reserves to American investment.
Rodríguez defiant
Trump’s warning came as Rodríguez was formally confirmed as interim president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court and senior military officials.
Striking a defiant tone following the US raid, Rodríguez insisted that Maduro remains Venezuela’s sole legitimate leader and declared that the country was ready to defend its natural resources.
“We are prepared to defend our sovereignty and our resources,” she said.
US position on Venezuela
Trump, who has previously campaigned against US-led nation-building and regime change abroad, nevertheless said on Saturday that the United States would “run” Venezuela.
In his interview with The Atlantic, he argued that US involvement would be preferable to the current situation. “Rebuilding there — regime change, whatever you want to call it — is better than what you have right now,” Trump said.
“Rebuilding is not a bad thing in Venezuela’s case. The country has gone to hell. It’s a failed country — a disaster in every way,” he added.
AFP
