Venezuela opposition rejects 'military threat'

The opposition coalition in Venezuela on Sunday rejected "the military threat by any foreign power," two days after US President Donald Trump said he was considering such an option against the crisis-hit South American nation.

The coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, did not mention Trump's name, but its message was clear.
It said in a statement it rejects "the use of force, or the threat of applying such force, by whatever country against Venezuela."

Trump's comment on Aug. 11 that his administration was mulling many options, "including a possible military option if necessary," to fix the "dangerous mess" in Venezuela outraged Caracas, which called it "reckless" and "madness."

It was also rejected by all Latin American countries - not only Venezuela's allies such as Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, but also those strongly opposed to President Nicolas Maduro, including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was traveled to Colombia on Augb 13 for a tour of some friendly countries in the region with a view to coordinating further action against Venezuela, on top of U.S. sanctions already applied.

But after Trump's comment - which U.S. military commanders said had not been followed by any orders to prepare any sort of operation - Pence was faced with unified rejection of forceful U.S. intervention.

The Venezuelan opposition coalition said Maduro's recent moves to bolster his power despite broad unpopularity and a spiraling economic crisis had "isolated" the country.

But with many Venezuelans sharing bitter memories in Latin America of past U.S. military adventures in the region -- including invasions, propping up dictators and promoting guerrilla forces -...