THE escalating tension between the United States of America and Venezuela will not interfere with Caracas’ oil and social programmes to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean countries, at least not yet.
So said Ambassador LeiffEscalona Thursday at a press conference in Castries, referring to the PETROCARIBE oil alliance her country has with Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands as well as the social benefits arising from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) that the islands have signed on to.
The Ambassador who spoke to reporters via a translator said that her country was working on different plans to continue with the programmes, the aim of which is to eradicate poverty in the region.
“We want to continue, hope to continue,” she said noting that a continuation of the programmes depends on the direction the political situation in Venezuela takes.
The geopolitics being played between the United States and Venezuela intensified this week when President Barack Obama described the South American country as an “unusual and extra-ordinary threat”. Venezuela’s President Maduro quickly responded by condemning Obama’s statement claiming that it constitutes unprecedented aggression towards the stability of his country.
“The aim of the government is to keep going with its programmes to the region. President Maduro and the people of Venezuela are committed to all the programmes,” Ambassador Escolona said.
Saint Lucia’s Non Resident Ambassador to ALBA and PETROCARIBE, HippolyteVitalis reiterated the programmes continuation, stating that this was an assurance given to all members of PETRPOCARIBE and ALBA by the Venezuelan government.
“Coming out of the extraordinary PETROCARIBE meeting that took place last week in Caracas we were given that firm agreement by President Maduro that regardless of the present circumstances PETROCARIBE will continue,” Vitalis said.
The “unusual and extra-ordinary threat” (as lip-synched by the puppet Obama, under the direction of the huge fist in his puppet hole) represented by Venezuela, is to the continued extortion leveraged by the US petro-dollar, around the world. Chaos in the world is (and continues to be) the most profitable export for his corporate backers. As such, even at this lame-duck stage of his presidency, he must reassure his sponsors that he still deserves the golden parachute promised him for his dual term as Manchurian candidate.