Venezuela’s Maduro making surprise U.N. trip as pressure grows
UNITED NATIONS—Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro showed up unexpectedly at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday to "defend his country" as six nations accused him of crimes against humanity and President Donald Trump hinted at taking military action.
The surprise visit came after Maduro had earlier threatened to skip the global gathering, citing fears he could be assassinated as his once-wealthy OPEC nation spirals into a brutal economic crisis and international pressure mounts for the socialist leader to step down.
"Today we're stronger than ever," a buoyant Maduro said in a video broadcast from the presidential jet as he and first lady Cilia Flores, who was just hit by U.S. sanctions, arrived from Caracas. "I come filled with emotion, passion."
It appeared unlikely, however, that Maduro would cross paths with Trump, despite the U.S. president's comments earlier in the day that he was willing to meet with his Venezuelan counterpart if it would help ease suffering in the South American nation.
"I'm willing to meet with anybody anytime I can (to) save lives, help people," Trump said as he was pummeled by reporters' questions about whether the U.S. would ever intervene military to remove Maduro.
On Wednesday, presidents from five conservative Latin American governments and Canada's prime minister met in New York signed a complaint with the International Criminal Court asking it to investigate Maduro on charges of crimes against humanity.
It's the first time that member countries have referred another country to the Netherlandsbased U.N. court. They pointed to a human rights report accusing Venezuelan security forces of carrying out arbitrary arrests, murders, extrajudicial executions, torture, sexual abuse and rape on orders from Maduro's government.
"To remain indifferent or speculative in front of this reality could be perceived as being complicit with the regime," said Paraguayan Foreign Minister Andres Rodriguez Pedotti. "We are not going to be complicit."