The United States’ strong response to a message from the Nicolás Maduro regime calling for an end to sanctions

The Acting Under-Secretary of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States Department of State, Julie chung, referred on Twitter at the initiative of World Food Program in Venezuela.

“We celebrate World Food Program agreement to provide food assistance to 1.5 million children in Venezuela. The United States remains committed to alleviating the suffering of Venezuelans. We hope that this help will quickly reach those who need it, ”said the diplomat.

Quoting the tweet of the head of the State Department, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nicolás Maduro regime, Jorge Arreaza, said: “If the United States is so determined to ease the difficulties, free Venezuela’s resources held hostage in international banks and lift criminal sanctions that generate suffering for all Venezuelans in the midst of a terrible global pandemic ”.

In view of this, Chung replied forcefully, “Mr. Arreaza, if you are really interested in removing the sanctions, we suggest:

. hold free and fair elections

. respect human rights and freedom of the press

. release the 323 political prisoners

. stop persecuting the opposition

. stop harassing NGOs”

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the Nicolás Maduro diet signed an agreement on Monday to provide food to Venezuelan schools, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis fueled by economic collapse and pandemic.

The program, which plans to provide daily meals, It will reach 185,000 preschool and special education children this year and aims to grow to around 1.5 million by the end of the 2022-2023 school year.WFP said in a statement. Childhood malnutrition has increased in Venezuela due to the long economic recession in this once prosperous oil country.

“This is the first step in a set of ambitious projects that include food support for all the Venezuelan people,” Maduro said in a speech from the presidential palace in Miraflores accompanied by David beasley, executive director of the program.

“Count on me to tell us the truths, to communicate constantly and to open the doors to new initiatives, new projects,” Maduro added in the activity broadcast by the state television channel.

Aid groups have been lobbying for a long time for the Venezuelan regime to authorize WFP to distribute food aid in Venezuela. The opposition accused Maduro, whom it calls a dictator, of condition state food aid on political loyalty.

“Thank you for allowing us to be independent and for not letting our work be politicized,” said Beasley. In a previous statement, WFP said that “the school is the most appropriate platform for WFP to reach communities independently“.

The deal was widely supported by aid workers and Venezuelan activists. Beasley also met with the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó and with ambassadors from various European countries.

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