Washington, Jan 3 (.) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were dragged from their bedroom by elite US forces in a large-scale military raid, will “face the full might of American justice” and stand trial in the United States, a triumphant US President Donald Trump said today, terming the US attack perfectly executed, even as condemnation poured in from across the world.
Addressing a press conference at Mar a Lago, in Florida, Trump said that the Venezuelan President and his wife are “right now, on a ship” and are headed to New York.
Trump said the US will indefinitely “run the country” of Venezuela after capturing President Maduro and claimed the US would do so until a “proper and judicious transition” occurs, but he did not provide further details.
Trump also said he planned to authorize US oil companies to take over Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, asserting that the corporations would “spend billions of dollars” on the project. “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he said.
Trump also posted a photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima heading for New York, where he will face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court. The captured Venezuelan leader was seen in a gray Nike sweatsuit, clutching a water bottle. Maduro’s eyes are covered with an blacked out covering and what looks like large headphones are over his ears.
His wife Cilia Flores was not pictured in the photograph.
The overnight mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said on Saturday.
“The operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was discreet, precise and conducted during the darkest hours of January 2, and was the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal — an operation that frankly only the United States military could undertake,” he said.
President Trump said the United States was prepared to mount a second attack on Venezuela if need be — though he suggested it was no longer necessary after military personnel were able to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid.
“We were prepared to do a second wave if we needed to do so — we actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not,” Trump said in remarks from Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday as he recounted the operation.
The US president reiterated comments that the operation conducted in the early hours of Saturday morning, which saw elite US forces drag Maduro and his wife from their bedroom, was as “pinpoint” operation. And he added that subsequent military operations in Venezuela were in the planning phase but that the administration “probably won’t have to do” them.
Trump said no US service members were killed, though some were injured when a helicopter was hit during the attack, which was carried out under the cover of darkness.
Maduro was indicted earlier today in South District New York and charged in connection with alleged narco-terrorism and other crimes.
Trump accused Maduro of allowing drugs to be trafficked into the United States and prompting gang violence in U.S. cities.
“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transitions,” he said. “So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”
“We’re there now,” he added. “So, we’re going to stay until such time as we’re going to run it essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
Condemnation has come in from Venezuela’s neighbours. Iran, Russia, and China have condemned the attack.
Iran condemned the attack, calling it a “flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Venezuela.
Russia’s foreign ministry accused the U.S. of “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable” in a statement.
“The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability,” the statement said.
“In the current situation, it is important, first and foremost, to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue.”
The Russian government called for Venezuela to “be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, interference from outside,” and backed other calls for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
China said it is ”deeply shocked” by the US attack and strongly condemned the US’ blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.
“Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it,” Chinese FM spokesperson made the remarks on the US Military Strikes on Venezuela.
“We call on the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security,” said the spokesperson.
Coincidentally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s Special Representative on Latin American Affairs, in Caracas on Friday morning, and a few hours later the US carried out the strike on Venezuela and captured the president.
Trump had reportedly warned Maduro to reduce Chinese influence and he is said to have refused.
. XC .