Pence’s tour clouded by Trump threat against Caracas

US Vice President Mike Pence launched a Latin America tour Sunday that has taken on new significance following US President Donald Trump’s threat of a possible “military option” against Venezuela.

The weeklong trip, aimed at coordinating a regional diplomatic action to the political crisis in Caracas, begins in Colombia, a strong US ally that takes hundreds of millions of dollars a year in funding from Washington and which has little liking for leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The other stops were Argentina, Chile and Panama.

The tour would be dominated by the crisis in Venezuela and how US “partners and friends” were looking to the “future” regarding that country, while others were stuck in the “past,” a senior US official said.

“We’ve been firm in both word and deed against the Maduro regime ... We want to continue to put the pressure on the Maduro regime,” he said.

“We’ll talk to economic options, diplomatic options – every tool that’s available. It’s not only the US putting forth pressure on Maduro, but that he’s getting it from all sides of the region as well.”

Thanks to Trump’s warning on Friday that he was considering various measures to tackle Venezuela “including a possible military option if necessary,” Latin American nations are united against the use of American force.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru all issued messages rejecting such a step.