Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told CNN’s Stefano Pozebon during a rally in Caracas on Thursday that Americans should unite with Venezuela for peace in the Americas.
His exclusive remarks came amid rising tensions with the United States, which has sent warships to the Caribbean to target drug-trafficking ships from Venezuela. Although the U.S. government claims the purpose of the military buildup is to cut off the flow of drugs to the United States, Caracas believes the U.S. is really trying to force regime change.
President Maduro urged the United States not to plunge into another protracted conflict, calling on his people in Spanish to “unite for peace[in the Americas]. No more endless wars, no more unjust wars, no more Libya, no Afghanistan.”
Asked if he had a message for US President Donald Trump, Maduro replied in English: “Yes, peace. Yes, peace.”
He did not directly answer whether he was concerned about a possible invasion by the United States. Instead, he simply replied that he was dedicated to governing his country peacefully.
President Maduro was attending a mass rally for Venezuelan youth and later urged them to resist what he called the threat of invasion from the United States.
Over the past three months, the United States has amassed about 15,000 personnel and more than a dozen warships in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier described as the U.S. Navy’s “most lethal combat platform.”
The US military buildup in the region is believed to be the largest since the 1989 invasion of Panama, raising speculation that the US is preparing for a larger conflict.
The United States says it has carried out at least 20 airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, killing 80 people.
CNN reported that the Trump administration is considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes in South America. But the administration has told Congress in recent days that the United States has no legal justification to support an attack inside Venezuela, and CNN reported that officials are considering what such a legal opinion would be.
Venezuela responded by launching a large-scale mobilization of militias made up of military and civilians. Troops are conducting training across the country to prepare for potential threats from the United States.
The country also appears to have placed large objects, commonly used to block the passage of military vehicles such as tanks, on major highways. Satellite images taken by Vantoor on November 10 show a “hedgehog” anti-vehicle obstacle on the Caracas-La Guaira highway, the main route into the city from the coast. The roadblock first appeared there more than a month ago.
Venezuela’s regular army, the Bolivarian National Army, has about 123,000 members. President Maduro has also claimed that his volunteer militia currently has more than 8 million reservists, but experts have questioned their numbers and the quality of the military’s training.
