TEHRAN, Apr 04 - The United States administration and Congress are working to increase pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by introducing new sanctions and enticing Venezuelan officials to defect to an opposition figure.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic adviser, claimed in a press conference on Wednesday that the US would pump dollars into the Venezuelan economy once it “gets rid of” Maduro.
Kudlow said Washington was already working with banks and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a plan to improve Venezuela’s economy.
“We call it Day Two. It would be a rescue plan, it would be a restructuring plan, it would be a plan to put cash into the country,” he said at the briefing, which was arranged by The Christian Science Monitor weekly.
“The timeline is to get rid of Maduro. I have no idea when that is going to be,” added Kudlow, who is director of the US National Economic Council.
He said that once Maduro is gone, Washington would provide Venezuela with immediate economic assistance, beginning with pushing the US currency in to reignite economic activity, moving it via “banks, iPhones, and apps.”
“The cash will not be bolivars. It will be dollars, at least at the beginning. There is no demand for bolivars. Dollars are the answer,” Kudlow claimed.
Venezuela has been in political chaos since opposition figure Juan Guaido declared himself “interim president” late in January. Guaido has received backing and encouragement from the US government along the way.
Senate ‘aid’
Also on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of 15 US senators introduced legislation — the so-called the Venezuelan Emergency Relief Democracy Assistance and Development (VERDAD) Act — to authorize 400 million dollars in new humanitarian aid to the Latin American country.
It was not clear who the supposed aid would go to. Venezuela blames the US for the country’s economic and political difficulties and has previously refused to take aid from Washington.
The act simultaneously encourages other countries to impose sanctions on Maduro’s administration and ease penalties on the Venezuelan officials who recognize Guaido.
Guaido cancels event in Caracas
Meanwhile, Guaido canceled an event scheduled to be held by and for his supporters in the Petare neighborhood of the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday, while opposition supporters were waiting for him. The main access to the district was reportedly blocked by police.
US to use all tools to make Russia leave Venezuela: Pompeo
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington would resort to all means in an attempt to force Russia out of Venezuela, days after Moscow confirmed the dispatch of military experts to Venezuela under a defense deal signed in 2001.
“President Trump’s made clear that we’re prepared to do what it takes to get the Russians to leave. I think he said it precisely that way,” he said during an interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show on Wednesday.
Source:presstv
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