Colombia will make "all necessary efforts" to oust Venezuela's government, Duque tells Pompeo

[Judi Lynn]

by Adriaan Alsema April 15, 2019



Colombian President Ivan Duque (L) and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (Image: President's Office)

by Adriaan Alsema April 15, 2019

Colombia’s President Ivan Duque praised United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for “making all necessary efforts” to force regime change in neighboring Venezuela.

The visit took place only days after top US and Colombian officials met confidentially in Washington DC to discuss a possible military intervention, with the aim of ousting disputed President Nicolas Maduro and replacing him with US-friendly Juan Guaido.

. . .

When talking to the press, Pompeo avoided hinting at military intervention. Instead, he vowed to use all political and economic tools to force Maduro out of office.



. . .

According to Reuters, Trump’s hard-right national security adviser John Bolton, said he would deliver a speech in Miami to Cuban exiles on Wednesday about actions the White House is taking on Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the three socialist-led countries he has been calling a “troika of tyranny.”

More:
https://colombiareports.com/duque-tells-pompeo-promises-all-necessary-efforts-to-oust-maduro/

Also posted in LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142303620

[Judi Lynn]

1. Top officials from Colombia and US meet in secret to discuss possible military intervention in Venez

by Jack Norman April 15, 2019

. . .

Colombia’s Ambassador to the US, Francisco Santos, was among those at an off-the-record seminar entitled, “Assessing the Use of Military Force in Venezuela,” sponsored by an influential Washington-based thinktank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The private, unofficial meeting made clear that military intervention in Venezuela remains an option for the US, which has been unable to replace the disputed President Nicolas Maduro with the US-friendly Juan Guaido, despite months of pressure.

. . .

Other in attendance were current officials of the US State Department and USAID, along with members of the Venezuelan opposition, former US ambassadors in Latin America (including William Brownfield, former ambassador to Venezuela and Colombia) and National Security Council members.

Former military officials included US Admiral Kurt Tidd, recently retired commander of Southcom, the Miami-based multi-force unit of the US military responsible for Latin America.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-diplomats-meet-with-us-officials-over-possible-military-intervention-in-venezuela-report/