(Express, Ciaran McGrath, 30.Oct.2018) — Venezuela represents a “clear threat to regional stability” and a “direct challenge” to the United States, a senior US Government official has said, as the possibility of Donald Trump taking military action resurfaced after widespread speculation in the summer.
The oil-rich South American country’s economy has sunk into crisis under President Nicolas Maduro, as many as 1.9 million Venezuelans have emigrated since 2015, according to the United Nations.
Some 90 percent of recent departures, the United Nations says, remain in South America.
Latin American governments including those of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru are due to meet tomorrow to coordinate their response.
Speaking prior to the talks, Marshall Billingslea, assistant secretary for terrorist financing at the Treasury Department, told an audience in Washington: “Venezuela poses a clear threat to regional stability and security.
“This is a hemispheric issue and the implosion of the regime there is a direct challenge for us.”
Mr Trump, who would like to see Mr Maduro removed from power, broached the idea of military action last summer, saying: “We’re all over the world and we have troops all over the world in places that are very, very far away.”
“Venezuela is not very far away and the people are suffering and dying.
“We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser HR McMaster, both of whom have since left Mr Trump’s administration, are believed to have been instrumental in persuading him of the folly of the idea, according to reports in July.
A senior administration official relayed details of the conversation, suggesting aides including Mr Tillerson and Mr McMaster had take turns explaining the risks to Mr Trump.
In September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Trump returned to the subject during a private dinner with leaders from four Latin American allies.
The US official said Mr Trump did so despite being advised not to raise the matter.
He reported Mr Trump as having said: “My staff told me not to say this” before asking each of the leaders present if they were sure they did not want a military solution.
All of them assured him they were.
At least 6,000 Venezuelans were lined up at Peru’s northern border on Tuesday in hopes of entering the country before a deadline for acquiring residency.
Another 4,000 were due to arrive in the next two days, Peru’s ombudsman’s office said.
Peru was one of the first countries to offer temporary residency cards for Venezuelans who have been fleeing their homeland and crossing Colombia and Ecuador to reach Peru.
As the number of Venezuelans in Peru has surged to nearly half a million, the government moved the deadline from the end of the year to the end of October.
The exodus has stressed social services and sparked concerns about crime and jobs in host countries, and many migrants are facing restrictive immigration laws and discrimination.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said Monday that Peru could not give residency to Venezuelans indefinitely.
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