US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ABC on Sunday that the US would use the blockade of Venezuela as a means of putting pressure on the regime in Caracas to introduce changes desired by the US, including in the oil sector. In this way, he answered the question whether the US would “rule” Venezuela.
In an interview with ABC, Rubio seemed to soften President Donald Trump's Saturday words that the US would “rule Venezuela until a safe and reasonable transition.” He did not directly answer any question about “governing” Venezuela. However, Rubio suggested that Washington intends to force the current regime to make specific policy changes regarding the fight against drug smuggling, migration, management of the oil sector and cooperation with US enemies.
– What we manage is the direction in which it will go in the future. We have the means of pressure, Rubio said, pointing to the naval blockade of Venezuela's oil sector.
– We have introduced a quarantine for their oil. This means that their economy will not be able to grow until conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the Venezuelan people are met. And that's what we're going to do to maintain that leverage that's still there, and we expect it to produce results – he pointed out.
The result will be a Venezuela that does not support America's opponents
He added that the result is to be a Venezuela that does not support America's opponents, such as Iran and Hezbollah, is not a “paradise for drug traffickers”, does not participate in drug smuggling to the US, and will reform its oil sector.
– Of course, we want a better future for the people of Venezuela. We want them to have an oil industry whose wealth would go to the people, not to a handful of corrupt individuals and would be stolen by pirates, emphasized the Secretary of State.
When asked about what will happen if these changes are not implemented, Rubio noted that The US reserves the right to any option. In a later interview with CBS, he suggested that another attack was possible, as President Trump threatened on Saturday.
The Secretary of State made it clear that the current regime – although without Maduro – will remain in power for now with its new leader, Delcy Rodriguez, even if the US does not recognize its legitimacy to rule.
– We do not believe that this regime has the legitimacy gained through elections, and we are not the only ones who think so (…) However, we understand that there are people in Venezuela today who can actually make changes. For example, when we want to send planes with migrants, even though we have never recognized the legitimacy of the Maduro regime, we had to cooperate with the authorities controlling the airport. “We had to deal with people who had guns and controlled airports,” Rubio said. – Ultimately, a legal system of government will emerge after a transition period and real elections, which have not happened yet, he added.
The transition period has no details yet
Rubio did not reveal details of what the transition period will look like and whether the US will force the regime in Caracas to organize new elections. However, this is how the actions of the Trump administration were interpreted by the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Tom Cotton, who in an interview for CNN said that Rubio was working with both the regime and the opposition to form an interim government.
However, Rubio himself, in an interview with CBS, seemed to cool down expectations regarding the democratization of Venezuela and the opposition's coming to power. He noted that although he greatly admires opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and Edmund Gonzalez, whom the US considers the rightful winner of the last presidential election, the US is currently on a “mission.” He did not directly answer the question about whether there would be a democratic transformation and later added that “we need to be a bit realistic.”
– They had this regime, they had this system of “Chavism” for 15-16 years and now everyone is asking: why 24 hours after Maduro's arrest there are no elections scheduled for tomorrow? – said Rubio. – These things take time (…) We want Venezuela to become a completely different place than it is today. But of course we don't expect this to happen in the next 15 hours. However, we expect the situation to move in this direction, he added.
When asked about the belligerent words of Venezuela's new leader, Delca Rodriguez, which contrasted with Trump's assurances that she would do “whatever the US wants,” he replied that Washington would look at her actions, not her words.
– At the end of the day, rhetoric is one thing. (…) There are various reasons why people appear on television in these countries, especially 15 or 12 hours after the man who ruled the regime is in handcuffs and on his way to New York, Rubio said in an interview with ABC. – It's what you do, not what you say. What happens now: Will changes be made? Will they reject Iran? Will Hezbollah and Iran continue to work against our interests in Venezuela? Will the migration pattern stop? Will there be an end to drug smugglers' boats? – he calculated.
Rubio also said that the US military intervention was legal because the US is not at war with Venezuela, and the operation was not an “invasion” or occupation, but merely the execution of a US arrest warrant for Maduro. He also claimed that this was why there was no need to obtain congressional consent for these actions. He noted that it was impossible to inform Congress before the fact, because the start of the operation depended on rapidly changing conditions on site, and information about the attack would be leaked to the media.
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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