Venezuelan president says doesn’t trust Obama
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he does not trust Barack Obama although he is willing to speak with him to reduce tensions.
"I respect you, but I don't trust you, President Obama," Maduro said at the 35-nation Summit of the Americas in Panama City, the capital of Panama, on Saturday.
On March 9, Obama issued an executive order to impose sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials.
Under Obama’s order, the US property and bank accounts of the Venezuelan officials will be frozen and they will be denied US visas.
Washington accuses the officials of rights violations in relation to last year’s protests in Venezuela.
The order also declared Venezuela an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security and foreign policy. Maduro reacted by calling the US an “imperialist threat” at the time.
"I am willing to talk with President Obama about this issue with respect and sincerity,” Maduro stated, referring to the issue of sanctions.
The Venezuelan leader also said that 13.4 million people in the Latin American country had signed a petition demanding the removal of the bans, which have angered other Latin American countries.
"The response has been forceful, rejecting the executive order and demanding its removal," Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said on Saturday, adding, "Our people will never again accept tutelage, meddling and intervention."
Moreover, Bolivian President Evo Morales stated, "The Venezuelan people, along with Latin America and the Caribbean, we are not a threat to anybody."
Washington had sought to ease tensions ahead of the summit, saying it does not really perceive Venezuela as dangerous to US security.
Caracas and Washington have been at odds since late Hugo Chavez became Venezuela’s president in 1999. Both sides have refused to exchange ambassadors since 2010.
Washington has admitted it endorsed a coup that briefly toppled Chavez in 2002.
On February 12, Maduro said a US-backed coup plot against him had been foiled. Washington denied the claim that it had been involved in any coup plot against him.
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