US Using Delivery of Aid as Pretext to Start War Against Venezuela - Envoy

09:04 GMT, 6 February 2019

CARACAS (Sputnik) - The United States is using the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Venezuela as a pretext for unleashing a potentially catastrophic in the Latin American country, Jorge Valero, the permanent representative of Venezuela to the United Nations, told Sputnik.

Sputnik

"The government of Donald Trump is using humanitarian assistance as a pretext for unleashing war, which may have catastrophic humanitarian consequences. Venezuela is a sovereign country that is capable of restoring its economy by implementing its own projects, which have been developed by President [Nicolas] Maduro", Valero said.

The statement comes after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on 5 February dismissed the US promise to send relief aid to the crisis-hit South American country as a "political stunt" and a pretext for invasion.

Lawless 'Twitter Coup' in Venezuela Sets Deeply Dangerous Precedent – Analyst

6 February 2019, 01:11 GMT

On 4 February, the administration of Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, said that they would hold an international conference in Washington on February 14 to seek emergency humanitarian assistance.

Guaido proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president on January 23. Maduro has in the meantime called him a US "puppet" and accused Washington, which has stated that it has all options on the table with regard to a response to the crisis, of organizing a coup in the Latin American country.