Latin America Remains Silent Regarding Venezuela and U.S. Tensions
As the Summit of the Americas approaches this week, Latin American leaders have by and large kept silent about charges of human rights abuses in Venezuela made by the United States.
The political stresses between Venezuela and the U.S. are a complicated issue for Latin American nations, as a good number of Latin American leaders are bound to Venezuela’s oil-rich resources, as well as frustrated by recent U.S. imposed sanctions placed on the socialist country.
Geoff Thale, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, has stated that: "Venezuela has successfully played the history of U.S. imperialism and U.S. heavy-handedness cards, in a way that has made people want to back away from public criticism."
In March, the Obama administration revoked the visas for seven senior officials accused of human rights violations related to protests last year against President Nicolas Maduro's government.
Demonstrations led by Venezuela’s right wing opposition party were met with government force which then led to 40 deaths.
As reported in The Associated Press article, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela has stated that while regional leaders are concerned about the situation in Venezuela, both the government and the opposition, which has been calling for Maduro's resignation, bear responsibility for what was wrought in their land.
Ricardo Zuniga, the U.S. National Security Council's senior director for Latin America, announced during a press briefing regarding Obama's upcoming visit to the summit in Panama that the situation in Venezuela was the concern of all governments around the region.
"We don't have any hostile designs on Venezuela," said Zuniga, who elaborated that: "We are Venezuela's largest trading partner. We have an extensive and deep history between our countries, including a lot of family connections."
At the Summit of the Americas Maduro has promised to hand deliver to Obama a petition signed by 10 million Venezuelans calling for the U.S. sanctions to be revoked.
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