- Title: Venezuela’s defence minister lambasts U.S. sanctions
- Date: 27th July 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VENEZUELAN DEFENCE MINISTER, VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, ARRIVING TO NEWS CONFERENCE PADRINO PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA'S NATIONAL ELECTORAL COUNCIL (CNE), TIBISAY LUCENA, AT NEWS CONFERENCE GENERAL VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN DEFENCE MINISTER, VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, SAYING: "I categorically reject this meddling, this jibe, this trampling of Venezuela's sovereignty. Because it's not on names and last names, or about positions, it's on Venezuelan men and women. As a Venezuelan citizen, I reject in its entirety and with utmost strength that an empire would come here and try to impose some measure, these so-called sanctions, on Venezuelan men and women." GENERAL OF NEWS CONFERENCE LUCENA AT NEWS CONFERENCE VENEZUELAN MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, NESTOR REVEROL, DURING NEWS CONFERENCE PADRINO AND LUCENA DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN DEFENCE MINISTER, VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, SAYING: "I take this moment to congratulate the people of Venezuela for the civil conduct they've shown these past two days - yesterday and today - in which they've called for destabilizing actions They've called for civil strikes, of which there is nothing civil about them. Because to lock a worker's door, a farmer's door, to lock the door to their houses so they can't go to work, I don't think there is anything at all civil about that. It is an imposition, a dictatorship even, this strike they've called." END OF NEWS CONFERENCE PADRINO, LUCENA AND OTHER OFFICIALS LEAVING PADRINO, LUCENA AND OTHER OFFICIALS POSING FOR PICTURES
- Embargoed: 10th August 2017 21:04
- Keywords: Venezuela United States sanctions Venezuelan defence minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RHUEYV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez came out with a strong rebuke against the United States for "meddling" on Thursday (July 27) over sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.
The United States on Wednesday (July 26) announced sanctions against 13 current and former officials for corruption, undermining democracy, and participating in repression.
Venezuela's long-time ideological foe the United States opted to sanction the country's army and police chiefs, the national director of elections, and a vice president of the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) for alleged corruption and rights abuses.
Padrino also criticized the opposition for leading a two-day strike they called for Wednesday and Thursday as they tried to pressure unpopular President Nicolas Maduro to scrap plans for a controversial new congress.
Maduro has vowed to push ahead with Sunday's (July 30) vote for a Constituent Assembly, which will have power to rewrite the constitution and override the current opposition-led legislature. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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