Venezuela’s Maduro seeks UN cooperation

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says he told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the government of Nicolas Maduro wants “deepening cooperation” with U.N. agencies in areas “impacted by the international assault by the United States.” But he insists “there isn’t a humanitarian crisis” and wouldn’t say whether he asked the U.N. for food or medicine.

Arreaza told a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York Tuesday that he has asked “the U.N. and the world” to promote the lifting of U.S. sanctions that have frozen Venezuelan assets.

He warned that sanctions “have already led to immense suffering and if it goes further Donald Trump … would have blood on his hands.”

Arreaza said Maduro wants to avoid a U.S. coup or intervention “because it would only lead to an even worse situation, and it would be a situation akin to what happened in Vietnam.”

As for the opposition led by Juan Guaido, he said, “This is an opposition which is betting on civil war, on violence and on a coup d’etat.”

He said the Maduro government is waiting for the opposition “to deign to sit down with us,” and while the government has no “preconditions,” he indicated it must “decolonize” and cut ties with the United States.

Arreaza came to the press conference from a three-hour meeting of countries in the 120-member Nonaligned Movement. He said there was a lot of “solidarity” with Maduro’s government and non-interference in a country’s affairs, singling out Caribbean and southern Africa regional groups and Iran.