Venezuelan FM Says Trump, Pence 'MUST GO' for Future of Humanity

TEHRAN (defapress)- Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called on US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to step down "for the future of all humanity" in the wake of Pence's claim that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro "must go".

News ID: 76358

Date: 23 March 2019 - 18:12

Pence wrote in his article for Miami Herald that Maduro should step down "for the future of Venezuela" amid a political crisis in the Latin American country, RIA Novosti reported.

"It's URGENT! For the future of all humanity, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and company must go!" Arreaza wrote on Twitter on Friday.

​In January, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, backed by the United States, declared himself the interim president of Venezuela after disputing Maduro’s re-election last May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido, called on Maduro to step down and seized billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuela’s oil assets.

Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a puppet leader beholden to Washington.

Also on Friday, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said in a statement US sanctions imposed on Venezuela's Bandes bank will affect almost 24 million clients, according to TASS.

"This illegal coercive measure will affect 23,950,280 clients (individuals, as well as state and private companies) in Venezuela," the foreign ministry stated, adding that the Venezuelan government condemned "unilateral, coercive, arbitrary and illegal measures that affect Venezuela's Bandes bank and four important financial institutions".

"The people and government of Venezuela will continue defending their independence and political, economic and cultural sovereignty," the foreign ministry stressed.

On Friday the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank (Bandes); Uruguay-based Banco Bandes Uruguay; Venezuelan banks Banco Bicentenario del Pueblo and Banco de Venezuela; and Bolivia-based Banco Prodem S.A. The move came after Roberto Marrero, Guaido's chief of staff, was arrested on charges of organizing a terrorist cell and conspiring to assassinate politicians and military officials.

Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

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