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PHOTO FILE: Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, hits a gold bar while he speaks, at a meeting with ministers responsible for the economic sector at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela , March 22, 2018. REUTERS / Marco Bello / Photo File
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela will sell 15 tons of gold from central banks in the UAE in the coming days against cash euros, said a senior official familiar with the project, in an attempt to stay solvent.
The sale this year of the gold reserves that support the bolivar currency began with the shipment on January 3 of 3 tons, announced the official, and follows the export l & # 39; 39; last year of 900 million dollars mostly unrefined gold destined for Turkey.
In total, it is planned to sell 29 tons of gold held in Caracas by February, said the source, asking to remain anonymous to speak freely. Venezuela had 132 tons of reserves between the central bank and the Bank of England at the end of November, according to data from the central bank.
President Nicolas Maduro's government resorted to the sale of gold following the collapse of oil production, the general collapse of the country and the increasingly severe sanctions imposed by the United States that affected public money and made access to credit difficult for the country.
The United States, which supports an attempt by the opposition to force Maduro to withdraw and call new elections, warned bankers and traders on Wednesday not to buy Venezuelan gold.
US Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted Thursday at the United Arab Emirates Embbady in Washington, warning that anyone carrying Venezuelan gold would be subject to US sanctions.
Neither the United Arab Emirates Embbady in Colombia, which covers Venezuela, nor the Central Bank immediately responded to requests for comment.
Report by Corina Pons; Edited by Rosalba O & Brien and Frances Kerry
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