- Title: Defying Trump threat, Venezuela to press controversial congress
- Date: 18th July 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTRY VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SAMUEL MONCADA, ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE OFFICIALS LISTENING TO MONCADA MONCADA PREPARING TO SPEAK (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SAMUEL MONCADA, SAYING: "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates the unheard of statement issued by the White House yesterday, July 17, 2017. It concerns a document never before seen which, due to its low level and poor quality, makes it difficult to understand the intellectual intentions of the aggressor country." MONCADA READING STATEMENT PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FOREIGN MINISTER SAMUEL MONCADA, SAYING: "We will make profound revisions to our relationship with the United States government, because we do not accept humiliation from anybody. We will never will. Respect, yes; humiliations, no." MONCADA READING STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FOREIGN MINISTER SAMUEL MONCADA, SAYING: "It is an act of political sovereignty by the Republic. Nothing and nobody can stop it. The Constituent Assembly is happening. Today, the Venezuelan people are free and will unite against the insolent threat from a xenophobic and racist imperialist government." MONCADA READING STATEMENT
- Embargoed: 1st August 2017 18:01
- Keywords: Maduro controversial new congress Samuel Moncada Washington Donald Trump government economic sanctions impose Venezuela
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016Q8W8QV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government on Tuesday (July 18) vowed to proceed with plans for a controversial new congress despite what it called a "brutal interventionist" threat by Washington to impose economic sanctions.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (July 17) he would take "strong and swift economic actions" if Maduro went ahead with the new body that would have power to rewrite Venezuela's constitution and supersede other institutions.
Giving his government's response, Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada said the July 30 vote for the legislative super-body known as a Constituent Assembly would go ahead anyway.
The Republican president called Maduro, who narrowly won election in 2013 to replace the late Hugo Chavez, "a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator."
Polls show a majority of Venezuelans oppose the assembly.
Maduro's opponents say they drew 7.5 million people onto the streets at the weekend to vote in a symbolic referendum where 98 percent said they disagreed with the assembly plan. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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