The United States declared that it still "assessed" sanctions against Nicolás Maduro's regime

The Under Secretary of State of the United States, John SullivanHe said Friday that Washington is still badessing the sanctions against Venezuela, a country plagued by an unprecedented "humanitarian catastrophe" in the region.

"We are evaluating the sanctions all the time," said the "number two" state department at a meeting with reporters in Miami, which he was part of Efe and he highlighted the "refugee crisis" that has known the country and has led more than 3.4 million Venezuelans to cross borders, according to UN data.

"It's a real tragedy" in a country that was "a dominant economy," insisted Sullivan, who was with the Navy's admiral (Armada) Craig S. Faller, commander of Southern Command of the United States (SOUTHCOM), responsible for military operations in South America and the Caribbean.

Sullivan spoke of the recent sanctions imposed by the US regime on companies in the Venezuelan oil sector, some of which were devoted to transporting crude oil from the South American country to Cuba, and which was putting increasing pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime.

"The transportation of oil to Cuba is not something that has been done for the benefit of the Venezuelan people, it is in fact a return for the support of the Cuban army and intelligence to the regime." Maduro, "said Sullivan, who has question, said that there has been talk of arresting ships on the high seas.

Meanwhile, Admiral Faller agreed on the "human tragedy" that crosses Venezuela, comparable to the refugee crisis in Syria, and regretted that the seven planes at the 39, humanitarian aid sent by the United States could not enter the country.

He avoided pronouncing on the request made Thursday by the federal senator from Florida, Rick Scott, who called for military intervention to get into humanitarian aid, and said the international community had a common stance on the crisis in Venezuela.

The undersecretary of state led Friday at Southern Command base a ministerial meeting at which the basis of the appeal was approved. Resistance Alliance the United States and the Caribbean, which seeks to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the region.

With the participation of ministers and senior officials from 18 Caribbean countries, as well as senior representatives of US federal agencies, the meeting ended with the signing of a joint statement containing the basics of l & # 39; Association.

"It's our neighborhood, we have American citizens in each of the countries that were there today, we are obliged to protect them", while these countries have a long relationship with the United States, of Where a "resistance plan between neighbors," pointed out Sullivan.

"We do not do it for geopolitical reasons," said the "number two" state department, to point out that the conference had developed several panels covering topics such as technology development, the 39 exchange of information or the improvement of communications in case of disaster.

It was part of the conclave, the Chancellor of Dominican RepublicMiguel Vargas, who in the closing remarks stressed that the preparation to deal with the consequences of a natural disaster, which is part of the action plan, is essential.

"Our country is determined to take preventive measures against these threats," he told participants.

On the other hand Treasury Department The United States on Friday announced a new set of sanctions against Venezuela, this time involving four companies and nine ships, some of which were carrying Venezuelan oil to Cuba.

"We will continue to target companies that transport Venezuelan crude to Cuba, as they benefit from the looting of natural resources by the (Nicolás) Maduro regime," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The sanctions concern three entities in Liberia and one based in Italy. Four of the transport vessels had delivered crude oil to Cuba.