Mexico condemns US military deployment near Venezuela: "No to interventionism"
President Claudia Sheinbaum defended Latin American sovereignty against a new imperialist offensive by the Donald Trump administration.
247 - The United States military presence near the coast of Venezuela has once again provoked reactions in Latin America. On Tuesday (19), the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, resorted to her country's Constitution to reject any kind of external intervention, reaffirming the principles of self-determination of peoples and peaceful resolution of controversies.
“No to interventionism,” Sheinbaum said at her daily briefing, as reported by Reuters, when asked about sending U.S. destroyers to the Caribbean. “It is clearly established in our Constitution and is always our position: the self-determination of peoples, non-intervention, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
Three destroyers equipped with Aegis guided missiles – the USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham, and the USS Sampson – are expected to arrive off the Venezuelan coast within the next 36 hours. US government sources claimed the movement is part of an operation against Latin American drug cartels classified by Washington as “global terrorist organizations.”
President Donald Trump is using the Armed Forces under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, but the measure comes at a time when there is an escalation of hostilities against anti-hegemonic Latin American governments. In total, about 4.000 sailors and marines have been mobilized, in addition to surveillance aircraft and even attack submarines.
In Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro responded categorically: "No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America," he stated in a pronouncement broadcast on state television.
Maduro called the movement an "extravagant, outlandish threat from a decaying empire" and announced the mobilization of 4,5 million armed militiamen to protect the country from the presence of the US fleet.
Trump vs. Venezuela
Trump's offensive comes amid escalating pressure on Caracas. In recent days, Washington doubled the reward for Maduro's capture, from $25 million to $50 million, accusing the Venezuelan leader of alleged collaboration with criminal groups. The Chavista government denies the accusations and denounces yet another act of imperial interference.
[With information from Reuters]
