U.S. President Donald Trump has told his advisers that he plans to speak directly with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro according to Axios, as Washington designated him as the head of a terrorist organisation on Monday. A claim Maduro denies.
The U.S. formally designated the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO).
According to U.S. administration officials, Trump’s move represents a key step in his gunboat diplomacy towards Venezuela and may indicate that U.S. missile strikes or direct military action on land are not imminent.
"Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn’t say never, but that’s not the plan right now," one official said.
"In the meantime, we’re going to blow up boats shipping drugs. We’re going to stop the drug trafficking."
No date has been set for a call between Trump and Maduro, which remains “in the planning stages,” another official told Axios.
"Maduro is a narcoterrorist. Always lead with that word if you want to represent the president’s thinking," the official added.
For months, the U.S. has expanded military operations across Latin America, deploying Marines, warships, fighter and bomber jets, submarines, and drones amid speculation of a potential attack on Venezuela. Trump, however, reiterated on Friday that he would soon speak with Maduro.
Maduro has stated that Venezuela is ready for “face-to-face” dialogue with Washington.
He and his government have always denied any involvement in crime and have accused the U.S. of seeking regime change out of a desire to control Venezuela's natural resources, especially its vast oil reserves.
"They want Venezuela’s oil and gas reserves. For nothing, without paying. They want Venezuela’s gold. They want Venezuela’s diamonds, iron, bauxite. They want Venezuela’s natural resources," Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in comments on state television.
Trump has said repeatedly he is not pursuing regime change.
“Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous fabrication by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Marco Rubio, which designates the non-existent Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on his Telegram account.
The measure, Gil added, revives “an infamous and vile lie to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela, under the classic U.S. regime-change format. This new manouevre will meet the same fate as previous and recurring aggressions against our country: failure."
Experts have questioned the legality of the U.S. campaign in the southern Caribbean and Pacific, in which the U.S. military has killed dozens of people by blowing boats out of the water, citing suspicion that the vessels were carrying drugs.
A Reuters poll this month said only 29% of Americans support using the military to kill suspected drug traffickers without a judge or court being involved.
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