Spanish
Venezuela.- Venezuela's Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino López, warned extremist opposition sectors who have called for a military intervention by the United States to overthrow Nicolás Maduro's government that they will not tolerate any administration subservient "to what Washington says."
The minister who spoke on behalf of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), assured that these questionable actions take place because to the American "warmongering", "are added the slaves of the fifth column […] that represents fascism in Venezuela", alluding to what is called the 'extremist opposition', but that "it has nothing to do with opposition", because, he asserted, that sector, "if it has won elections […] it is to stage coups, to call for invasions, to call for interventions, to ask for sanctions against the people of Venezuela".
"Who among those people who have called for invasion, who have betrayed their country, who have called for criminal sanctions, for that economic genocide, who among those people can legitimately lead the country's destiny? And I say this from here, from the Armed Forces, as a soldier that I am: the FANB - take it and interpret it as you want to interpret it - is not going to allow a government here that is kneeling, enslaved and genuflecting to the interests of the U.S. Never slaves again. We are a free country, we have built it through many sacrifices," said the high official to the press.
"They can only be called ignorant"
In this regard, he called to remember that the South American nation is now facing "the worst threat in more than 100 years: the military threat, the air-naval deployment that the US has, getting closer and closer to the Venezuelan coasts" and branded as "ignorant" those who, in the midst of such a delicate situation, insist on "calling for war".
"All those people who call for invasions, who call for war, can only be called ignorant. Calling for war is an imbecilic act, of supreme ignorance, because those who call for war have no idea what that means. We, who study war, reject it across the board. We do not want war here in Venezuela or in the world, we want peace and we are preparing," he pointed out.
To conclude, he addressed what he called "cowardly" and "traitors to the homeland" sectors: "Keep playing your dirty role over there, your role as imbeciles, slaves, and lovers of the chains of their masters, and we here, defending our homeland as true patriots, because that's what it takes to be brave. Cowardice over there; courage over here."
