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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump on Thursday increased economic pressure on Venezuelan left-wing President Nicolas Maduro by new sanctions aimed at disrupting South American gold exports.
PHOTO FILE – Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, hits a bar of gold while he speaks, at a meeting with ministers responsible for the economic sector at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, March 22, 2018. REUTERS / Marco Bello
Trump has signed a decree banning anyone in the United States from dealing with entities and people involved in "corrupt or deceptive" gold sales in Venezuela, said Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton , at Miami.
"The Maduro regime has used this sector as a bastion to fund illegal activities, fill its coffers and support criminal groups," said Bolton.
Bolton made the announcement as part of a pledge to clamp down on what he called "the troika of tyranny" in the Western Hemisphere, naming Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Miami hosts a large number of immigrants from Cuba and Venezuela. Bolton made his appearance there just days before the US congressional elections, which included tight races for a Senate seat and governorship in Florida.
Bolton's remarks are likely to be welcomed by Cuban-Americans and other Florida Hispanics who are in favor of increased US pressure on the Cuban communist government and other left-wing governments in Latin America.
Bolton spoke at the Freedom Tower – a building that welcomed Cuban refugees in the 1960s following Fidel Castro's revolution – a day after Trump's Florida campaign for Republican candidates.
Florida is traditionally a turning state and former President Barack Obama was to bring Democrats together in Miami on Friday before the November 6 elections.
HARD LINE ON CUBA
Bolton said Cuba was assisting the Maduro government in Venezuela, citing the close ties that have united the two countries since Hugo Chávez's predecessor, Maduro, came to power in 1999.
Trump took a hard line in Cuba after Obama attempted to put aside decades of hostility between Washington and Havana. He canceled part of Obama's relaxation in 2014 by tightening the rules for Americans traveling to the Caribbean island and preventing US companies from doing business there.
Bolton said the US State Department would add "in the coming days" more than two dozen entities to a list of Cuban organizations associated with the country's military and intelligence services. US individuals and companies are prohibited from doing business with restricted companies.
He added that the administration would consider the possibility of allowing US citizens whose property was seized by the Castro government to sue foreign companies that have invested in real estate in Cuba. The review, commissioned by a group of Republican legislators from South Florida, was first reported by McClatchy.
"We want to look at this issue with fresh eyes," said Bolton.
Bolton also criticized Nicaragua for criticizing leftist President Daniel Ortega's crackdown on political opponents, saying his government "will feel the full weight of the powerful US sanctions regime" with "future measures" in the very near future. close".
Nearly 2 million Venezuelans have fled since 2015, driven by shortages of food and medicine, hyperinflation and violent crime. Thousands of people traveled to South Florida.
Maduro, who denies limiting political freedoms, said he was the victim of an "economic war" led by the United States.
Venezuela has adopted gold this year as a means of receiving hard currency, exporting 23.62 tonnes of gold valued at $ 900 million to Turkey in the first nine months of the year, compared with zero for the same period last year, according to official Turkish data. .
In 2016, Maduro declared war on illegal miners and said gold was a strategic priority in order to boost production in what is called the mining arc in order to create an alternative source of income for the world. economy dependent on oil.
Critics and opposition leaders claim that this decision has in fact led to an upsurge in the exploitation of wild mines and violence, the government reaping the benefits of illegal gold production .
The country's gold revenues remain modest compared to OPEC's oil sector, which accounts for more than 90 percent of export earnings.
The Trump administration has threatened to crack down on the Venezuelan oil industry, but a senior US official said earlier this month that there is less need to target the energy sector as it is disintegrated under the control of military officials appointed by Maduro.
Analysts say rising oil prices and the desire to protect US refiners on the Gulf Coast have also weighed on Washington's decision.
At the beginning of his presidency, Trump briefly mentioned a "possible military option" for Venezuela, without providing details.
Bolton avoided the question of whether Trump would consider interventions other than enhanced sanctions.
"I do not see this in part because I strongly believe that as sanctions increase, the pressure will become unbearable," said Bolton.
Report by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Matt Spetalnick reported on Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, Luc Cohen and Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas; edited by Frances Kerry and Grant McCool
