Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, ALBA, Secretary General David Choquehuanca said on Wednesday that renewed U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are unacceptable and that countries in the region should condemn such behavior.
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“We are all sovereign people and authorities have the obligation not to accept such declarations, but I do not understand why many of them remain silent,” Choquehuanca said in Madrid at a meeting with journalists.
Choquehuanca said the United States’ actions will not help Venezuela solve ongoing problems and will only bring uncertainty to “those who are in favor of chaos, disorder and war.”
According to Choquehuanca, there are current two paths in Venezuela at the moment. One is a road that goes through dialogue, as proposed by the National Constituent Assembly, and another road is the path of violence, which “has no proposals.”
“Today the brave people of Venezuela are in the streets defending democracy, its sovereignty, its dignity and the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution,” Choquehuanca said.
“We should not allow any intervention, no matter where it comes from.”
In regards to Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro, Choquehuanca said he had lost "all authority" and was not only dividing Venezuela, but also dividing the organization itself, which is now "weakened."
He also pointed out that Venezuela and other countries led by progressive governments have suffered similar pressures.
"We have had bitter experiences in the past ... but our peoples have risen," he said.
Among those sanctioned on Wednesday were National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena; Elias Jose Jaua Milano, the head of the Presidential Commission for the National Constituent Assembly; Tarek William Saab Halabi, Venezuela’s Ombudsman; Maria Iris Varela Rangel, member of Venezuela’s Presidential Commission for the National Constituent Assembly; and Nestor Luis Reverol Torres, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace.
On July 17, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Venezuela by stating, "If the Maduro regime imposes its Constituent Assembly on July 30, the United States will take strong and swift economic actions."