WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States will continue to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro until he understands that his days are “numbered,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. Pompeo’s comments came the day after clashes between troops loyal to Maduro and activists trying to hand over US-backed humanitarian aid to Venezuela. Two people died in a clash on the border with Brazil and some 300 were injured in other violent clashes near Colombia.
Pompeo said on CNN’s “Fox News Sunday” and “State of the Union” programs that the Trump administration will continue to support opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The secretary refused to dismiss US military force as an option, but added: “There are more sanctions to apply, I think there is more humanitarian assistance we can provide.” Maduro has blocked that aid at the border and ignored calls to step aside and let Guaidó take power. Pompeo said the United States will look for “other ways” to obtain food aid for Venezuelans. US Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Bogotá, Colombia, on Monday for an emergency meeting on Venezuela with foreign affairs ministers from more than a dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly from conservative governments. Guaidó said Saturday that he would meet with Pence in Bogotá.
A ship that set sail this Saturday from Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, with a cargo of humanitarian aid to Venezuela received “direct threat of fire from Venezuelan ships,” according to the island’s governor, Ricardo Rossello. Rosselló said in a statement: “I was informed that #BarcoPuertoRico, which left for Venezuela with humanitarian aid last Wednesday, received direct threats of fire from Venezuelan ships, which constitutes a serious violation against a humanitarian mission, consisting of American citizens, it’s unacceptable and outrageous.” He added that the boat had to leave the area and, referring to the US administration, added: “We have notified the federal government of the serious incident, we are in communication to determine the steps to follow.”
For his part, interim president Juan Guaidó posted on his Twitter account warning about the situation. “This boat brings more than 200 tons of Humanitarian Aid, its crew is civilian and its only purpose is to reach Venezuela to save lives,” he said.
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