Venezuelan border returns to ‘absolute calm’ after intense day
Venezuela’s border with Colombia was calm on Sunday, after an intense day over the attempted delivery of unauthorized foreign aid, a top official said.
Reviewing the Venezuelan border by aircraft flying over Tachira state, Diosdado Cabello, vice-president of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, reported “absolute calm, peace and tranquillity”.
He also expressed confidence that the Venezuelan and international opposition “enter into rationality and understand that the only way our people want is the path of peace”.
On Saturday, government opponents gathered at key Colombian border crossings to defy the ban on the delivery of the alleged humanitarian aid, mostly from the United States, which Venezuelan authorities warned was a pretext to allow US military intervention.
Denying the existence of a humanitarian crisis, the Venezuelan government refused to let the aid cross the border and called the aid operation a US-orchestrated show leading to an eventual invasion.
On Friday, Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez had announced the closure of three bridges connecting the country with Colombia.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Saturday the severance of his country’s diplomatic and political relations with Colombia, following the latter’s support for Venezuela’s opposition led by Juan Guaido.
On Monday, US Vice-President Mike Pence is scheduled to arrive in the Colombian capital, Bogota, to meet with Guaido and members of the regional Lima Group coalition. They will discuss the next steps aimed at ousting Maduro.
As early as 2017, US President Donald Trump reportedly raised the possibility of a US military incursion in Venezuela both in an Oval Office meeting with then secretary of state Rex Tillerson and other aides, as well as at a session with leaders of four Latin American allies on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to a senior US official who has since left the White House.
In both cases, Trump abandoned the war talk at the urging of his advisers and allies in the region. Before the current crisis, there was never any war planning by the military, said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the private conversations.
Guaido declared himself “interim president” on Jan 23 and was immediately recognized by Washington. Maduro accused Washington of orchestrating a coup d’etat in order to install a puppet regime.
A senior US official said Pence is expected to announce “clear actions” as he speaks to members of the Lima Group, a multilateral body established in 2017 to focus on Venezuela’s situation, comprising 13 Latin American countries and Canada.
Guaido has called on the international community to consider “all options” to resolve Venezuela’s crisis.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the US would impose more sanctions against Venezuela.