Mexico president calls on UN to prevent ‘bloodshed’ in Venezuela

Mexico City: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the United Nations on Wednesday (Dec 17) to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as US President Donald Trump piled pressure on the South American country.

“The United Nations has been conspicuously absent. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and to always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” the left-wing president told a press conference the morning after Washington announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela.

The United States has for months been building a major military deployment in the Caribbean with the stated goal of combatting Latin American drug trafficking.

Caracas views the operation as a campaign to push out leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro – whom Washington and many nations view as an illegitimate president – and to “steal” Venezuelan oil.

Sheinbaum said that regardless of “opinions” about the leadership of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mexico’s position is to reject “foreign interference.”

“We call for dialogue and peace to be used in any international dispute, and not intervention. That is our position by conviction and by our Constitution,” she added.