Venezuela’s ANC Condemns US Sanctions

Puebla, Mexico, August 31, 2017 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly (ANC) Tuesday condemned new US sanctions, while calling for an investigation into its supporters.

“We condemn and categorically repudiate the illegitimate and illegal executive order of the President of the United States of America imposing economic and financial sanctions against the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” said a statement read out by ANC member Diosdado Cabello.

Along with labelling the sanctions “illegal”, the ANC also argued the measure will hurt ordinary Venezuelans.

“These sanctions that [US President] Donald Trump intends to apply … [are not[ against PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) … these are sanctions [against] our people, because when we recovered the oil company we put it in service of our people,” ANC member Erika Farías said.

The ANC welcomed a wave of international support, after Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Russia and China condemned the sanctions over the past week.

In a second decree, the ANC also called for a domestic investigation into supporters of the sanctions.

“We know that the financial blockade had been motivated by requests from a right-wing alliance,” ANC head Delcy Rodriguez said.

Venezuela’s largest right-wing political coalition, the MUD, has endorsed Trump’s latest round of sanctions.

“Sanctions against those who are vagrants, human rights violators, and looters of public resources will always have our support, in the absence of impartial justice in Venezuela,” the MUD has stated.

Rodriguez accused the MUD of seeking a repeat of 2002, when a US-sponsored opposition coup temporarily ousted President Nicolas Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez.

“There is the proof they have requested a financial blockade, a commercial blockade [and] military intervention against Venezuela,” Rodriguez alleged.

Imposed last Friday, the latest round of sanctions bar US businesses from financial dealings with the Venezuelan government and its state oil firm PDVSA, the country’s main source of income. Friday’s financial bans are the fifth round of US sanctions to hit Venezuela since the start of the year, with previous rounds largely targeting high level officials.