WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Latin America this week will focus on helping opposition figure Juan Guaido work with multilateral institutions to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a senior State Department official told reporters in a conference call on Tuesday.
"The question of Venezuela, the main focus is on how to expand the ability of the Guaido administration to establish its position in multilateral institutions to work together with the regions' governments and the Lima Group," the official said.
The focus also includes effectively coordinating relief efforts and increasing the pressure campaign in the region against the Maduro administration, the official added.
The official said Pompeo's trip will make clear that the fundamental challenge in Venezuela is the unwillingness of Maduro and those who support him to allow for free and fair elections and to release political prisoners.
Pompeo will travel to Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay during his trip to Latin America on April 11-15. He will participate in high-level meetings in each country to discuss the Venezuelan crisis, security cooperation and economic ties, according to the State Department.
Venezuela has long been suffering from an acute economic crisis exacerbated by US sanctions against the country. In January, the US-backed Guaido illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Maduro's re-election in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down. Colombia, Chile, Peru and Paraguay followed suit.
Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
