Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reiterated his call for peace and pledged “absolute loyalty” to his people at a rally attended by thousands of people in Caracas as tensions rise over possible military action by the United States.
Monday’s rally was held as US President Donald Trump met with his national security team at the White House to discuss “next steps” regarding Venezuela, according to media reports.
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Addressing a crowd waving Venezuelan flags outside the presidential palace in Caracas, President Maduro said his country wanted peace, but only peace “with sovereignty, equality and freedom.”
“We want neither slave peace nor colonial peace! Colonies, never! Slaves, never!” he said.
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela by building up military forces in the Caribbean in the name of a campaign to eradicate drug trafficking. Caracas said the action was aimed at overthrowing Maduro’s government.
The United States has amassed 15,000 troops and deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region, and has designated President Maduro’s drug-trafficking cartel, the Cartel de los Soles, a “terrorist” organization.
It has also carried out at least 21 airstrikes against suspected drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean since September, killing at least 83 people.
Experts say the US firepower it has amassed far exceeds what is needed for drug-trafficking operations, while Caracas claims the US is seeking regime change to seize control of Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including oil.
President Maduro on Monday accused the United States of waging a campaign of “psychological terrorism.”
“For 22 weeks, we have endured an attack that could be described as psychological terrorism,” he said. “The last 22 weeks have tested us and the Venezuelan people have shown their love for their country,” he added.
Telephone conversation between President Trump and President Maduro
Meanwhile, President Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he spoke by phone with Maduro, but said it didn’t go well “for better or for worse,” without elaborating.
Reuters reported on Monday that Trump offered Maduro a safe exit from Venezuela during a brief phone call on November 21, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters reported, citing three sources, that President Maduro told President Trump that he and his family were willing to leave Venezuela on the condition that he and his family receive a full legal pardon, including the lifting of all U.S. sanctions and the conclusion of major cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He also called for the lifting of sanctions against more than 100 Venezuelan government officials, many of whom have been accused by the United States of human rights abuses, drug trafficking and corruption, according to Reuters.
Trump rejected most of his demands in the phone call, but told Maduro he had one week to leave Venezuela with his family for their desired destination.
Two sources told Reuters that President Trump declared Venezuela’s airspace closed on Saturday after its safe passage deadline expired on Friday.
There was no immediate comment from the United States or Venezuela on the report.
The Trump administration has said it does not recognize Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Maduro claimed re-election victory in last year’s referendum, but the United States and other Western governments dismissed it as a sham, and independent observers said the opposition had won a landslide victory.
Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Cúcuta on the Colombian-Venezuela border, said Maduro’s appearance at the Caracas rally came amid rumors that he had left the country following President Trump’s declaration to close Venezuelan airspace.
Bo said people who cross the Simón Bolívar Bridge between the two countries are “very concerned about the possibility of a military attack” by the United States on Venezuela.
“Meanwhile, Venezuela continues to deploy military forces throughout the country. They protect the capital Caracas, especially the airport and the main roads leading to Venezuela’s coastal areas. We have seen Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López display some military equipment, including air defense (and) fighter jets,” she said.
Venezuelan sources told Al Jazeera that they know Venezuela’s military is no match for the United States.
“That’s why they are focusing on other strategies, and these may include irregular attacks, sabotage, the use of criminal organizations, government loyalists and, in some cases, guerrillas,” Bo said.
“The main idea is to create chaos (and) anarchy, and that’s what many people in this country are concerned about. And even though they want to see Maduro go, there are some who are worried that violence will take over the country.”
