© Libertad y ProgresoWhose country is the threat?
announced Monday his call for US President Barack Obama to
repeal the his executive order declaring Venezuela a "threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." The decree was first signed in March 2015 by Obama and renewed this year. Maduro's actions come after US presidential elections resulted in an electoral victory for Republican party presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The leftist leader formally expressed that Venezuela will petition Obama to repeal the decree during his television program Sunday. Maduro confirmed that he will
discuss the issue with US Secretary of State John Kerry as well. Most recently, Kerry and Maduro spoke after November 9th's elections about ongoing
efforts to re-establish functional diplomatic relations including the Bolivarian government's dialogue with the opposition. Earlier this month, Thomas Shannon, the under secretary for political affairs at the US Department of State, travelled to Venezuela to
facilitate talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition.
Kerry and Maduro also met in Colombia during the signing of the Peace Accords in Cartagena de Indias late September. While Kerry explained that Obama's administration is "deeply concerned about events in Venezuela," he also added that, "We want to be constructive. We are not looking for conflict."
Obama's 2015 executive order declared it
"a national emergency to protect human rights and democratic institutions in Venezuela" as well to protect the US from
alleged illicit capital coming from the South American nation. Moreover, the order also
imposed sanctions against seven high ranking Venezuelan officials.
Obama did not repeal the decree this year despite having previously admitted that Venezuela does not constitute a threat to the US, teleSUR reported last April.
Comment: Why the executive order? These were the reported concerns: Venezuela has ties to Cuba and Cuba defended Chavez. Imperialism: The US is determined to subvert Venezuelan leadership to bend to Western hegemony at the expense of the Venezuelan economy and suffering of its people. Latin America supports Venezuela. The executive order gives Obama a pretext to counter Maduro, a way to increase repression through sanctions and prod the rest of Latin America into protest or submission. A threat to the US? Even Obama says this is bogus.