Almagro: Venezuela's Maduro created 'alternativ...

>> YESTERDAY IS A DAY THAT
VENEZUELANS WILL MOURN, AND WILL
MOURN FOREVER.
16 PEOPLE AT LEAST WERE KILLED
DURING THE DEMONSTRATIONS.
AND THAT IS A BIG TRAGEDY FOR
THE COUNTRY.
16 PEOPLE TO BE KILLED IN ONE
DAY IS ONLY -- WE CAN SEE IN THE
WAR ONLY ISIS, PRESIDENT MADURO
CAN PROVIDE THAT TO THE WORLD.
AND THAT IS A SHAME OF THE
DICTATORSHIP OF VENEZUELA.
PLUS, OF COURSE, WE HAVE SEEN
THE MANIPULATION AND THE
ALTERNATIVE REALITY THAT CANNOT
FOOL ANYBODY.
AT LEAST WE HAVE TO SAY THAT WE
STOP SEEING ALL THE VOTING
CENTERS PRACTICALLY EMPTY DURING
THE WHOLE DAY.
SOME OF THEM, THEY CLOSED EVEN
HOURS BEFORE IT WAS THE END OF
THE ELECTION.
SO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS A
COMPLETE FRAUD.
AND THIS FRAUD HAS NOT BEEN
RECOGNIZED BY THE MOST IMPORTANT
DEMOCRACIES IN THE WORLD.
AND EVERYBODY HAS CONDEMNED
VIOLENCE.
AND THAT WAS WHAT THIS DAY MEANS
FOR VENEZUELANS.
>> AT WHAT POINT DO YOU THINK
THAT THIS SITUATION -- AS YOU
HAVE NOTED, THERE HAVE BEEN 16
PEOPLE KILLED YESTERDAY.
125, AT LEAST, KILLED SINCE ALL
OF THIS BEGAN.
AT WHAT POINT DOES THIS THREATEN
TO SERIOUSLY DESTABILIZE
VENEZUELA?
>> VENEZUELA IS COMPLETELY
STABILIZED.
THE COUNTRY HAS COMPLETELY --
FALLEN INTO AN ECONOMIC, SOCIAL,
POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL CRISIS.
THE WAY IS TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY
IN THE COUNTRY.
WE KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT.
WE KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WILL
DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE IT.
TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY TODAY IS
IMPERATIVE TO THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY.
AND THE NEEDS OF THE VENEZUELAN
PEOPLE.
>> NICHOLAS MADURO, FOR HIS
PART, SAYS HE'S GIVING POWER TO
THE LITTLE PEOPLE IN VENEZUELA,
AND TAKING IT AWAY FROM WHAT HE
CALLS THE OLIGARCHS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF STATEMENTS
LIKE THAT?
>> THAT STATEMENT IS NOT RIGHT
FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END.
THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE ARE
SUFFERING LIKE THEY HAVE NEVER
SUFFERED BEFORE.
WE HAVE SEEN THIS SOCIAL CRISIS
PUTTING PEOPLE TO DIE BECAUSE OF
LACK OF MEDICINE, BECAUSE OF
LACK OF FOOD.
AND THE RATE OF CHILDREN
MORALITY IS THE HIGHEST EVER.
SO WHAT WE ARE FACING IS AN
INCREDIBLE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO RESOLVE IN
THE FUTURE.
>> I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN
TRYING YOUR HAND AT DIPLOMACY
OVER THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS
THERE IN VENEZUELA.
WHAT POWER DOES THE OAS NOW HAVE
TO TRY AND MITIGATE THIS
SITUATION SOMEHOW TO -- AS YOU
SAY, RETURN TO DEMOCRACY, BUT
ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT VENEZUELA
ITSELF GETS BACK ON TRACK?
BECAUSE IT IS A VERY DIRE
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION, AS YOU
HAVE NOTED, AS WELL.
>> WE HAVE TOOLS.
THE MAIN TOOL TO RESTORE
DEMOCRACY IN THE COUNTRY IS
SUPPLYING AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC
CHARTER.
AND FOR THAT WE NEED THE SUPPORT
OF THE COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY LOUD ABOUT
DENOUNCING WHAT IS GOING ON IN
VENEZUELA.
WE HAVE TAKEN AWAY IMPUNITY FROM
THIS DICTATORSHIP.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR IN THE
WAY THAT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD
IN ORDER THAT THE INSTITUTION
SHOULD START WORKING AGAIN.
THAT THE RESTORATION OF POWER TO
THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT IS -- IS ACHIEVED.
THAT MEANS WE NEED TO INCREASE
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE AND
INTERNAL PRESSURE ALSO HAS TO BE
INCREASED.
THAT FORM OF INTERNATIONAL
PRESSURE.
>> BUT WHEN YOU SAY THAT, WHEN
YOU CALL FOR THINGS TO BE
RESTORED, CHANGES TO BE MADE IN
VENEZUELA, YOU KNOW THAT
PRESIDENT MADURO AND SOME OF THE
OTHERS IN THE GOVERNMENT ARE
SAYING THAT THE OAS AND YOU,
PARTICULARLY, ARE BIASED.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN THAT
SITUATION?
DO YOU STILL HAVE ANY SORT OF
LEVERAGE, ANY CLOUT THERE ON THE
GROUND?
CAN YOU ACTUALLY STILL TALK TO
THIS GOVERNMENT OF NICHOLAS
MADURO, OR ARE YOU TALKING AT
THEM NOW WITHOUT GETTING ANY
SORT OF RESPONSE?
>> LISTEN, THE GOVERNMENT OF
PRESIDENT MADURO HAS BEEN
PASSING MESSAGES TO ME
PRACTICALLY EVERY WEEK.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING OUR ANSWERS
TO THEM.
BUT THE ANSWERS ARE VERY CLEAR,
BECAUSE IN ALL OF OUR CHARTERS
AND CONVENTIONS AND AGREEMENTS
THAT WE HAVE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF
THE ORGANIZATION.
THE WORK AHEAD WILL HAVE TO BE
DONE ALSO BY ALL MEMBER STATES
TOGETHER.
OUR CAPACITY TO DENOUNCE, OUR
CAPACITY TO TAKE IMPUNITY AWAY,
AS I SAID.
IT IS RELEVANT.
I WILL HAVE OUR CAPACITY ALSO TO
ENCOURAGE SANCTIONS AGAINST THE
VENEZUELAN DICTATORS.
AND, OF COURSE, AT THE END OF
THE DAY, SOME OF THE SANCTIONS
WILL HAVE TO AFFECT THE REGIME
AS A WHOLE.
BECAUSE TODAY THE MONEY THAT
THEY RECEIVED IS NOT BY ANY
MEANS GOING TO THE PEOPLE.
IN FACT, PEOPLE ARE RECEIVING
NOTHING OF THIS -- OF THIS
MONEY.
BUT THAT THEY ARE RECEIVING MORE
REPRESSION AGAINST THEM.
>> HOW IMPORTANT IS AMERICA'S
ROLE GOING TO BE?
BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, AMERICA IS
BY FAR THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY
IN THAT REGION.
I WANT TO READ YOU A TWEET THAT
NIKKI HALEY, AMERICA'S
AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED
NATIONS, SENT OUT, SAYING,
QUOTE, MADURO'S SHAM ELECTION IS
ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS
DICTATORSHIP.
WE WON'T ACCEPT AN ILLEGAL
GOVERNMENT.
THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE AND
DEMOCRACY WILL PREVAIL.
WHAT CAN AMERICA DO NOW?
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING OF
POSSIBLE SANCTIONS AGAINST
VENEZUELA'S OIL SECTOR.
>> FIRST OF ALL, UNITED STATES
SHOULD STAY ATTACHED TO THE
PRINCIPLES.
THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY AND
RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
THE SECOND THING IS TO TAKE
ACTION.
AND THAT -- THOSE ACTIONS THAT
CAN BE TAKEN MAINLY CAN BE READ
AS SANCTIONS.
THESE SANCTIONS COULD BE
TARGETING, OF COURSE, THE
AUTHORITIES OF THE REGIME.
AND ALSO, FROM WHERE THIS REGIME
IS GETTING THEIR REVENUES.
AND THAT SHOULD BE THE PATTERN
OF ACTION THAT THE UNITED STATES
SHOULD GO -- MOVE AHEAD.
>> OBVIOUSLY, SIR, IF THERE IS
INSTABILITY IN VENEZUELA, THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT CAN ALSO THREATEN
STABILITY IN THE ENTIRE REGION.
YOU DO ALSO HAVE SOME
DISAGREEMENTS IN THE OAS, AS
WELL.
FOR INSTANCE, COUNTRIES LIKE
BOLIVIA SIDING WITH THE MADURO
GOVERNMENT.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN STABILITY
NOW, AND SORT OF WORK AS A
UNITED FRONT?
>> IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO
MAINTAIN A STABILITY WHEN WE
HAVE A REGIME WITH THESE
CHARACTERISTICS.
THAT IS COMPLETELY --
DISRESPECTFUL OF THE FEELING OF
THE PEOPLE.
THAT, IN FACT, IS GOING ON
THROUGH OUR FINANCIAL, ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL CRISIS WITHOUT ANY
DOUBT, WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION
TO THE PEOPLE.
VENEZUELA IS ALREADY STABILIZED
IN THE REGION.
IF WE SEE, FOR EXAMPLE, 2
MILLION VENEZUELANS HAVE LEFT
THE COUNTRY IN THE LAST THREE
YEARS, AND THAT HAS PUT A LOT OF
MILITARY PRESSURE ON PRACTICALLY
EVERY COUNTRY IN THE REGION.
BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE
SMALL, THE SMALL ISLAND IN THE
CARIBBEAN OR SMALL COUNTRIES IN
CENTRAL AMERICA, THAT THIS
PRESSURE IS REALLY COSTAUSING AT
OF TROUBLE.
SO ALSO IS A THREAT TO SECURITY.
BECAUSE AS YOU SEE, FOR EXAMPLE,
PRESIDENT MADURO'S FAMILY IS IN
JAIL IN NEW YORK, BECAUSE OF
NARCO TRAFFIC.
THE VICE PRESIDENT HAS FUNDS
FROZEN IN THE UNITED STATES FOR

Almagro: Venezuela's Maduro created 'alternativ...

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