The Lula government’s foreign policy adviser said the US closure of Venezuelan airspace amounted to an “act of war”.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim said a US invasion or attack on Venezuela could plunge South America into a Vietnam-like conflict.
This is what Celso Amorim told the British newspaper The Guardian.
Celso Amorim said Donald Trump’s recent decision to order the closure of Venezuelan airspace was “an act of war” and “totally illegal” – and expressed fears the crisis could intensify in the coming weeks.
“The last thing we want is for South America to become a war zone – and a war zone that would inevitably not just be a war between the United States and Venezuela. It would end up having global implications and that would be really unfortunate,” Amorim told the newspaper.
“If there was an invasion, a real invasion…I think we would definitely see something similar to what happened in Vietnam – on what scale, it’s impossible to say.”
He believes that in such a scenario, even the enemy governments of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would unite against a foreign invasion.
“I know about South America…our entire continent exists because of resistance to foreign invaders,” Amorim said.
The newspaper says that although Brazil has not recognized Maduro’s victory in last year’s elections, the country is opposed to regime change based on force.
“If every questionable election triggered an invasion, the world would be on fire,” the Lula adviser said.
“If Maduro comes to the conclusion that leaving power is the best thing for him and for Venezuela, that will be his conclusion…Brazil will never impose that; it will never say that it is a requirement…We will not pressure Maduro to resign or abdicate,” Amorim said.
The diplomat said relations between Venezuela and Brazil are no longer as “warm and intense” as before.
There is speculation that Maduro could leave Venezuela for countries like Cuba, Turkey, Qatar and Russia. Regarding the possibility of Maduro going into exile in Brazil, Amorim said he preferred not to speculate, so “it doesn’t seem like we’re encouraging” that idea.
“However, asylum is a Latin American institution (for) people on both the right and the left,” Amorim said. He recalled that in 2005, the Ecuadorian Lucio Gutiérrez was welcomed to Brazil after being dismissed from the presidency.
“We even sent a plane to pick him up,” said Amorim, then foreign minister.
Amorim said he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump would find a diplomatic solution to the issue with Venezuela, with possibilities for a peaceful transition of power.
He suggested holding a referendum in Venezuela on whether Maduro would remain in power, along the lines of what happened in 2004.
“(President Hugo) Chávez accepted the idea, with some reluctance, but he accepted. There was a referendum and he won. I don’t know who will win now,” Lula’s adviser told the British newspaper.
The United States and Venezuela are going through a moment of great tension in their bilateral relations. Trump has stepped up pressure on Maduro.
The Trump administration has doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, and its warships are close to Venezuela. The United States has carried out attacks on Venezuelan boats, which the Washington government accuses of transporting drugs.
Trump reportedly issued an ultimatum to Maduro to leave Venezuela during a phone call between the two men on November 21.
About The Author
