Bogota – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday rejected plans to send international humanitarian aid into his country as a “political show,” while preparations to deliver food and hospital supplies past soldiers guarding the border continued.
The aid deliveries would be a disguise for a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Maduro told broadcaster RT, warning that imperialism only “causes deaths,” as happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria.
Opposition leader, Juan Guaido, who has been recognised by many American and European countries as Venezuela’s interim president, has requested aid as his power struggle with Maduro has intensified.
The U.S. has pledged 20 million dollars and Canada 53 million Canadian dollars (40 million dollars), while the EU earmarked an additional 5 million euros (5.7 million dollars) in aid. The EU had already provided 34 million euros in 2018.
The Venezuelan army has so far not responded to calls from the opposition and American countries to side with Guaido and to allow the entry of aid.
Guaido has said that the aid will initially enter through Colombia and Brazil.
The Colombian border city of Cucuta is preparing to receive aid supplies coming from the capital, Bogota, according to local media reports.
Colombia is tackling “the necessary tasks for the aid to reach the Venezuelan people,” Foreign Minister, Carlos Trujillo said late on Tuesday after meeting his U.S. counterpart, Mike Pompeo, in Washington.
U.S. National Security Adviser, John Bolton, meanwhile, met Brazilian Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araujo at the White House, where they discussed the logistics for the aid. (dpa/NAN)