Khanna leads call for peaceful political solution in Venezuela

India Post News Service

WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American Rep. Ro Khanna, with fifteen colleagues, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejecting threats of US military intervention in Venezuela, and supporting diplomatic dialogue to resolve the political crisis there and opposing broad economic sanctions that hurt ordinary Venezuelans.
The letter condemns the Nicolas Maduro government’s anti-democratic actions, human rights abuses and destructive economic policies but strongly expresses concerns that the Trump administration’s misguided policy could make the situation even worse for the Venezuelan people, according to a press release issued in this connection.

Polls conducted by pollster Datanálisis show that the vast majority of Venezuelans are opposed to foreign intervention as a means of removing President Maduro and instead want a negotiated solution to the crisis.
The letter urges support for a mediation process advocated by the Pope, and the governments of Mexico and Uruguay, to promote dialogue instead of civil war.
“The administration’s aggressive actions and rhetoric play into the Venezuelan government’s narrative that the country’s problems are the result of US intervention, helping shore up Maduro’s support base and diverting attention from what is fundamentally a domestic problem,” said Rep. Khanna.

“We respectfully call Secretary Pompeo to cast off threats of US military intervention in Venezuela and build a dialogue to resolve the political crisis there.”
The 15 co-signers of the letter are: Reps. Pramila Jayapal (WA-17), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Raul Grijalva (AZ-3), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA -4), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2), Karen Bass (CA-37), Danny K. Davis (IL-7) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9).