‘Enough orders from Washington’: Venezuela interim leader says pressure from US since capture of Maduro

Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez, in a first, struck a defiant note in response to President Donald Trump’s ultra-aggressive posturing towards the South American nation since the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

Rodríguez said she had "enough" of orders from Washington, in reference to pressure from the United States since the strikes and capture of Maduro.




"Enough orders from Washington on politicians in Venezuela. Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers," Rodriguez said in an address to oil workers in the eastern state of Anzoategui, according to news agency AFP.

Rodriguez said her government would take up long-standing disputes with Washington “face to face” through what she termed Bolivarian diplomacy, according to Xinhua news agency.

“We are not afraid, because what must unite us as a people is guaranteeing peace and stability for this country,” Rodriguez said.

She said Venezuela had never imagined that a South American capital would be subjected to a military attack by a foreign power, referring to the events of January 3, when US forces attacked Caracas and forcibly took away Maduro and his wife.

Rodriguez also called for national unity, urging Venezuelans to resolve internal differences through domestic political dialogue without foreign interference.

Earlier on Saturday, she appealed for talks with the opposition to reach “agreements” for peace, three weeks after the US-led ouster of her former boss, Maduro.

“There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to peace in Venezuela,” she said on state television while speaking from the coastal state of La Guaira.

“Despite our differences, we must speak to each other with respect. Despite our differences, we must come together and reach agreements,” she added.