The United States will work with what it calls the "legitimate governments" of Latin America to prevent protests in the region from degenerating into riots, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) The United States will work with what it calls the "legitimate governments" of Latin America to prevent protests in the region from degenerating into riots, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech at the University of Louisville, Kentucky."We will work with legitimate governments to prevent protests from morphing into riots and violence that do not reflect democratic will of the people," Pompeo said.
Protests have erupted in countries across Latin America including Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.
Pompeo accused Cuba and Venezuela of "hijacking those protests" but not offer any evidence to support the statement. He vowed that the US administration would continue to support countries trying to prevent these efforts.
The top US diplomat also promised "to be vigilant" so that new democratic leaders in the region do not exploit peoples' frustrations to take power.
The United States has endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who in January declared himself president, as the country's leader. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in turn, has accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a coup in the country and bring Guaido to power. Russia, China, Turkey, and several other countries continue to recognize Maduro as the only legitimate Venezuelan leader.
