The government of Nicolás Maduro stated this Wednesday that it views with “extreme alarm” the use of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as “a threat” against Venezuela, a set of actions that, it said, are part of “maneuvers” that seek to “legitimize an operation” of “regime change” in the country.
“We observe with extreme alarm the use of the CIA, as well as the military deployments announced in the Caribbean, which constitute a policy of aggression, threat and harassment against Venezuela,” said the Maduro Executive in a statement.
Venezuela anticipated that its permanent mission to the UN will file a complaint this Thursday before the Security Council and the secretary general of the organization, António Guterres, in order to demand “accountability” from the United States government and the “adoption of urgent measures to prevent a military escalation in the Caribbean.”
“The international community must understand that impunity for these acts will have dangerous political consequences that must be stopped immediately,” he warned.
The newspaper The New York Times revealed this Wednesday that the administration of US President Donald Trump authorized the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela as well as in the Caribbean, in an increase in its actions against the Maduro government with the aim of “removing him from power.”
According to the newspaper, which cites US officials as sources, the CIA could take covert actions against Maduro or his Executive, either unilaterally or jointly, as part of a broader military operation.
However, it is still unknown if the agency is planning any action or if it is intended as a contingency plan.
The United States has attacked vessels – which Washington claims were transporting drugs – in international waters near Venezuela, operations that have cost the lives of approximately thirty people.
The North American country has 10,000 soldiers in the region, most of them at bases in Puerto Rico, as well as a contingent of Marines on amphibious assault ships. In total, it has eight warships and one submarine in the Caribbean.
