Brazil voices concern over US threats against Venezuela

Rio De Janeiro, Oct 25 (IANS) The Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil voiced deep concern over growing US threats of military action against Venezuela.

In an interview with local outlet Metropoles, Celso Amorim dismissed attempts to link Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to terrorism. "You may like him or not, but Maduro is not a sponsor of terrorism," he said on Friday (local time).

Amorim warned that the deployment of US forces near Venezuela and the authorisation of covert CIA operations by US President Donald Trump have heightened tensions in the Caribbean and raised alarm across Latin America.

He stressed that "any conflict in the region must be resolved through dialogue and respect for national sovereignty."

Brazil maintains diplomatic relations with Venezuela and has repeatedly opposed any foreign military intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, during a visit to a military hospital in the capital Caracas, said that the country will not accept any government subservient to the United States.

"The Bolivarian National Armed Forces will not allow a government that is kneeling, enslaved, or submissive to US interests," Padrino Lopez said on Friday (local time), according to state broadcaster Venezolana de Television.

He urged Venezuelans to remember that some opposition leaders have previously called for foreign intervention and sanctions against the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

While acknowledging that the opposition plays an important role in a democracy, Padrino Lopez warned of what he described as threats from US military actions, particularly in the Caribbean.

He denounced recent US manoeuvres near Venezuelan waters, saying they have intimidated local fishermen, and called the situation "the greatest threat in a century."

Despite escalating tensions, Lopez reiterated Venezuela's desire to avoid conflict. "We want peace," he said.

--IANS

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