Venezuela’s Maduro may be kicked out by own military & get ‘nice’ exile in Cuba, Tillerson hints

Issuing an ambiguous threat to Venezuela, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the army has often been an “agent of change” in the Latin American country and beyond in cases when leadership “can no longer serve the people.”

“In the history of Venezuela and South American countries, it is often times that the military is the agent of change when things are so bad and the leadership can no longer serve the people," Tillerson said at the University of Texas in Austin on Thursday.

When the people’s patience runs out, the military then “will manage a peaceful transition,” Tillerson said, avoiding terms usually associated with such a chain of events, such as “military coup” or “overthrow.”

The ousting of Maduro is not something Washington aspires to or plots, Tillerson said, noting that “whether that will be the case here or not, I do not know.”

“We have not advocated for regime change or removal of President Maduro. We have advocated that they return to the constitution,” he stated, adding that Maduro’s political fate will depend on the outcome of elections.

“And then, if he is not re-elected by the people, so be it,” Tillerson said. The latest national election held in Venezuela - the one that led to the inauguration of the National Constituent Assembly in August - was not recognized by Washington, which slapped the country with several rounds of sanctions targeting the financial and energy sectors of the oil-rich country.
 (RT)
 2/2/18