South American countries reject US calls for Venezuela sanctions
QUITO - South American nations on Saturday rejected the US decision to label Venezuela a security threat and sanction seven officials, lending President Nicolas Maduro regional support in the diplomatic dispute with Washington.Foreign Ministers of the twelve-country Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) called for a revocation of the measures, which Maduro has blasted as an attempt to unseat him."It constitutes an interventionist threat to sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," UNASUR said in a statement from Ecuadorian capital Quito.The regional backing is further evidence the US action against Venezuela has benefited Maduro, whose popularity has tumbled in hand with a severe economic recession."Long live the South American nation!," Maduro exclaimed in celebration on Saturday night, flanked by members of the military who had just led a defense exercise in the face of an alleged US threat.Venezuela@@@s opposition says Maduro is amplifying the bilateral tensions to distract from shortages of everything from toilet paper to chicken, inflation of around 70 percent, and sky-high crime.The leader has revved up his revolutionary rhetoric this week to rally supporters at home and around Latin America.The region remains deeply scarred by Washington@@@s backing of coups during the Cold War and is sensitive to any hints of meddling from the superpower to its north.ByREUTERS06/08/2025 07:57 AMByREUTERS06/08/2025 05:36 AMByMAARIV06/07/2025 02:33 PMByWALLA!06/07/2025 11:18 AM
