Cuba warns of U.S. military actions near Venezuela

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 2 (ACN) Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said this Thursday the military action announced by the U.S. government, involving the deployment of warships near Venezuela and special troop movements, is a serious threat to peace for all in the region.
Rodriguez Parrilla described the alleged fight against drug trafficking, used by Donald Trump's administration to carry out this naval action, as an opportunistic excuse.
Trump ordered on Wednesday an increase in the number of military personnel in Latin America to allegedly fight drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, including Venezuela.
Washington's announcements include the sending of Navy ships for the militarization of the eastern Caribbean - the focus of operations in a possible aggression against the South American country - a few days after charges of alleged drug trafficking were filed against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.
In an official statement, the Venezuelan executive said that Trump "intends to attack Venezuela with outrages and threats," in an attempt to divert attention from the humanitarian situation existing in that country as a result of the erratic handling of its authorities before the COVID-19.
The Trump administration proposed an end to sanctions against Caracas if Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido step aside and allow a transitional government.
This initiative estimates elections to be held within the next six to 12 months, during which the president of the transition government would not be able to be nominated, Prensa Latina explained.
In response, Venezuelan FM Jorge Arreaza rejected Washington's proposal and emphasized that decisions in Venezuela are made in Caracas, at the Miraflores Palace, under the Venezuelan Constitution.
In this regard, Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday on Twitter that "imperial rulers still think that their country has the right to design and impose changes in governments and social systems. They are wrong" and considered the U.S. claim as an "extreme disrespect to the dignity of Venezuela.