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Caracas.- The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, made a call this Monday to overcome "hatred" and insisted on asking the U.S. to lift the economic sanctions imposed against the South American country, within the framework of the bilateral rapprochement initiated after the military attack of January 3 and the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
"We have told President Trump, who considers us his friends, his partners, we have told him that we celebrate and welcome that consideration, but as a united people, the blockade against Venezuela must end now," affirmed the acting president during a meeting with Chavista militants in Sucre state (east).
You may be interested in: http://Trump looks like he has a rash on his neck, which his doctor attributes to a preventive treatment In his statements, broadcast by the state-owned channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Rodríguez reiterated that sanctions should be lifted, while calling to "turn the page forever on hatred and extremism" in the South American country. "No more hate, no more intolerance," said the president, who also criticized those who supported the sanctions and "aggressions" against Venezuela. The Chavista leader assured that the country has demonstrated "that diplomacy, political dialogue, diplomatic dialogue must be the space to settle differences in a world", after almost two months of the US attack."The Venezuelan people, I am sure they will know how to educate that extremist political class that has led Venezuela into situations of great danger," Rodríguez affirmed, without mentioning names, but who usually qualifies as "extremist" the opposition led by Nobel laureate María Corina Machado.
Following her swearing-in as president, Rodríguez proclaimed a "new political moment" in Venezuela and has promoted several reforms, including an opening of the hydrocarbons sector to foreign investment and a historic Amnesty Law by which, as of this Monday, 5,628 people -245 in prison and 5,383 on restricted freedom- have received full freedom. Last Thursday, the Chavista leader called US President Donald Trump a "partner and friend," and assured that Caracas and Washington are opening "a new agenda of cooperation" bilaterally, for which she asked for the cessation of US sanctions against Venezuela. Trump highlighted last Tuesday in his State of the Union address the arrival of 80 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela, a country he called a "new friend and partner". The Chavista government has denounced on multiple occasions that billions of dollars belonging to Venezuela, as well as gold and other assets, are blocked abroad due to international sanctions, including those of the U.S. On January 27th, Rodríguez announced the unfreezing of assets from his country in the U.S. as a result of dialogues with the Trump administration and reported the purchase, in the North American nation, of equipment for hospitals with these released resources.
