Venezuela’s delegation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) accused the United States on Tuesday (27) of contributing, through its security strategy, to the “fragmentation of global trade and international law”, citing as an example the military operation in Venezuelan territory, on January 3, when dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured.
According to the EFE agency, the Venezuelan statement took place at the monthly session of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, in the context of a debate that has been going on for years in the organization: the United States’ refusal to appoint judges to the Appellate Body, the last instance of the entity’s trade dispute resolution system.
The Venezuelan delegation alleged that the paralysis of this body has been used to allow the use of unilateral measures that violate international law and compromise the sovereignty of nations.
The representation of the South American country also added that Venezuela is opposed to the idea of replacing a rules-based system with one in which the use of force prevails.
The demonstration takes place two days after interim dictator Delcy Rodríguez stated that “we have had enough of orders from Washington regarding politicians in Venezuela”.
“May it be Venezuelan politics that resolves our differences and our internal conflicts. We have had enough of foreign powers,” said the dictator.
Despite this speech, American President Donald Trump has ignored opposition leader María Corina Machado and supported Rodríguez’s stay in power, on the grounds that Venezuela could become a hotbed of terrorism like Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, if the Chavista regime is suddenly overthrown.
Last week, the American president called the interim dictator a “fantastic person” and this Monday (26) he thanked the Venezuelan regime for “releasing its political prisoners at an accelerated pace, a pace that will increase even more in the next period of time”.
However, according to the NGO Foro Penal, until yesterday only 266 of the 806 political prisoners in Venezuela had been released.
