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Bogot, 04 – At a meeting in August 2017, at the Oval Office of the White House, President Donald Trump asked a disturbing question to his key advisers: with the escalation of Venezuelan violence threatening regional security, why can the United States not just invade the country?
The suggestion surprised those present at the meeting, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor HR McMaster. Since then, Tillerson and McMaster have left their respective positions. The story of the conversation in the oval saloon came from a senior government official, familiar with what happened.
In the dialogue, which lasted about five minutes, McMaster and the others explained to Trump how the military could turn against them and risk losing the hard-won support of the Latin American governments. The official spoke of the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
But Trump fought back. Although he gave no indication that he was about to order military plans, he indicated what he considered a successful diplomacy in the region, as the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s. The idea persisted in the head of the president.
The next day, August 11, Trump alarmed friends and foes with a "military option" to take Maduro out of power. The comments were first rejected in American political circles as the kind of swagger expected of a reality TV star who became head of state.
But shortly thereafter, according to the official, Trump raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Two senior officials of the Colombian government confirmed the story. They also spoke under the guise of anonymity to avoid opposing the US President.
Then, in September, after the United Nations General Assembly, Trump again discussed the issue, this time more in-depth. It was at a private dinner with the leaders of four Latin American allies, including Santos, according to the same officials and the Politico website.
The US official said Trump was specifically warned not to raise the issue. would be well regarded, but the first thing the chair said during dinner was "My team told me not to say it." Then he asked each leader if he was sure he did not want a military solution.
Eventually, McMaster will talk to the president about the dangers of an invasion, the official said.
Discussed together, the behind-the-scenes conversations, the length and details of which were not disclosed. (19659002) But critics say the fact also emerges as America 's foreign policy first (America first) in free translation), that can sometimes seem unwise and provide ammunition to US opponents.
The White House declined to comment on the talks. However, a spokesman for the National Security Council reiterated that the country would consider all available options to help restore Venezuela's democracy and stability of return.
Under the leadership of Trump, the United States, Canada and the European Union imposed sanctions on dozens of senior Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, for allegations of corruption, drugs and human rights violations. The United States also allocates more than $ 30 million to help Venezuela's neighbors absorb a stream of more than a million migrants who have fled the country.
For Maduro, who has long claimed that the United States had military Venezuela and its vast oil reserves, Trump's public conversation is an impulse, albeit ephemeral. The unpopular leader is trying to escape guilt over widespread food shortages and hyperinflation.
A few days after the US president spoke of the military option, Maduro filled the streets of the capital Caracas with his supporters to condemn the belly of the emperor. Trump In addition, the Venezuelan ordered military exercises across the country and threatened to arrest the opponents, saying that they were planning their overthrow, allied with the United States.
"Take take care of your business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump, "said President's son, Nicols War, at a government rally. "If Venezuela is attacked, the rifles will arrive in New York, Mr. Trump," said the young man. "Let's take the White House."
Even some of America's greatest allies were voluntarily forced to stand in Maduro and condemn Trump's conversations. Santos, a big Washington supporter who is trying to isolate Maduro, said an invasion would have no support in the region. The Mercosur bloc, which includes Brazil and Argentina, said that "the only acceptable way to promote democracy is dialogue and diplomacy" and that it "repudiates" any option involving the government. use of the outside world ".
But between the opposition in Venezuela, the hostility of a military intervention has gradually declined.
A few weeks after Trump's comments, Harvard economics professor Ricardo Hausmann and former Venezuelan Planning Minister wrote a column entitled "Venezuela's D-Day", in which he calls for a "coalition of volunteers ", composed of regional powers and the United States to intervene and support militarily a government appointed by the opposition-led National Assembly.
Mark Feierstein Latin America's UN Security Council during the Obama administration, said the United States strident to Venezuela, although commendable, will not detach power from Maduro if she is not accompanied by the street's pressure. However, he thinks that Venezuelans have been demoralized after the crackdown on protests last year, which caused dozens of deaths. "People inside and outside of government know that they can ignore what Trump says," said Feierstein, now a consultant for the Albright Stonebridge group, about The Speech of Trump on the military invasion in Venezuela. "The concern that this has raised expectations among Venezuelans, many of whom are waiting for an outside actor to save them."
(AP)
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