“Total Access or Worse Fate Than Maduro”: Trump Warns Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez
Washington, DC | January 5 (ANI):
As Delcy Rodríguez assumed office late Sunday as Venezuela’s acting president, former US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning, saying she must grant the United States “total access” or face consequences “probably worse than Maduro.”
According to Venezuela’s Presidential Office website, Rodríguez took charge Sunday night and chaired her first Council of Ministers meeting shortly thereafter. Photographs released by the government showed her presiding over the session.
Earlier, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the United States required full access to Venezuela’s resources, particularly its oil reserves.
“We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country,” Trump said.
Trump reiterated comments he had previously made to The Atlantic, warning that Rodríguez could face a fate worse than that of former President Nicolás Maduro if she failed to “do the right thing.” He did not specify what actions he expected from her, according to CNN.
“I don’t have to tell you. I just say that she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because, you know, Maduro gave up immediately,” Trump said.
Maduro was captured by US forces during a military operation on Saturday and is currently in American custody.
Soon after assuming office, Rodríguez issued a message calling for peace and cooperation, extending an invitation to the United States to work together. In a post on Instagram, she said Venezuela remained committed to peaceful coexistence and respectful international relations.
“Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence,” Rodríguez said. “Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We prioritise balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference.”
Despite earlier indications from US officials that Rodríguez could be their preferred leader in a post-Maduro transition, she expressed loyalty to the former president, saying that her message of peace and dialogue reflected Maduro’s own position.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law,” she said. “President Donald Trump, our peoples, and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
Meanwhile, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, remain detained in the United States and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday. They face charges related to alleged narco-terrorism and conspiracy to traffic drugs.
US authorities confirmed that the couple is scheduled to appear before a federal judge at 12 pm local time, marking their first court appearance since the US military operation carried out on Saturday. (ANI)
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