Venezuela's Ambassador to Ankara, Jose Gregorio Bracho Reyes, answered questions from soL Portal about the recent threats against the leftist government in his country. Emphasizing that an attempt at occupation or military action from outside is possible in Venezuela, Reyes spoke of the role played by Colombia which he called “the Israel of Latin America”.
Reyes stated that there were many Chavistas in other Latin American countries and the fire that would come from a possible military occupation in Venezuela would spread all around the continent.
"THE UNITED STATES WANTS A SCENARIO SIMILAR TO SYRIA"
"The fight actually began in 2005 and it is important to remember those days to understand today. In 2005, George W. Bush (former President of the United States) proposed a neoliberal free trade agreement. Instead, Chavez met with the leaders of Argentina and Brazil, and they decided to adopt an alternative energy and trade agreement“ Reyes said. He emphasized that the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) led by Venezuela and the rise of leftist governments across Latin America angered the United States.
Reyes said that the right-wing opposition in Venezuela was defeated last month in the Constituent Assembly elections despite the violence and threats against the Venezuelan government; but the United States, the European Union and the Organization of America States (OAS) want a scenario similar to what happened in Syria.
90% OF PEOPLE KILLED WERE CHAVISTAS
Reyes, the grandson of an African slave and the son of a worker, emphasized that the right-wing forces in Venezuela are like Nazis and that these groups, formed by mercenaries and drug addicts, had recently burned many people to their deaths on the streets just because they looked like Chavistas as they had darker skin (and were presumably lower class). He also pointed out that 90 percent of the more than 100 people who lost their lives before the Constituent Assembly elections were pro-government people and the Bolivarian Army has been struggling against the violence spread by anti-government mercenaries.
"COLOMBIA HOSTS MARCINARIES AND FASCISTS"
“The United States and its allies plan to attack Venezuela. It is the same with what they did in Syria. They help professional killers pass to Venezuela from Colombia. When the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed, you could hear that some of his killers had a Colombian accent. Colombia is a base for the training of paramilitaries and fascists. And the former Colombian President and drug trafficker Alvaro Uribe called for the occupation of Venezuela” Reyes stated.
"THE NEW CONSTITUTION WILL END DEPENDENCE ON OIL REVENUES"
Referring to the fact that the main support of the Bolivarian Revolution is the political consciousness of the Venezuelan people, he said that they believe many Latin American people including a vast number of Chavistas would resist an occupation attempt along with the Venezuelans.
Reyes accepted that Venezuela has had a collapsed economic model for a hundred years that depends on oil revenues and the country doesn’t have a strong infrastructure or industry, and this led to the enemies of Venezuela attacking the country by reducing the oil prices. He said that this crisis is a result of the political war on Venezuela, however; the Venezuelan government has strong support in the country and the new constitution aims to create a new economic model that doesn’t depend on oil revenues.
THE VENEZUELAN RIGHTWING DOESN’T HAVE A SOCIAL BASE
Rejecting the idea that the right wing in Venezuela has a social base, Reyes stated that the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro wants to prevent a civil war. He pointed out the main aim of the Venezuelan government is to protect their economic independence and Maduro has called not only on the political parties but also on the people, including workers, villagers, students, and indigenous peoples, from both leftist and rightist groups, to help establish a new constitution.
