US embassy under investigation in Caracas
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By Staff Writers, teleSUR
teleSUR
Sunday, Dec 7, 2014
In an exclusive interview with teleSUR, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that the Bank of the South will be operating by the end of 2014.
President Maduro told teleSUR Saturday that he is very pleased with the advance in Latin American integration following the meeting of the Union of South American Nations' (UNASUR) at its new headquarters in Quito, Ecuador.
Maduro said the regional had fulfilled all the goals agreed to by member countries at its outset, and that the Bank of the South will be operating by the end of 2014. “The Bank of the South is already a reality,” said the Venezuelan leader, who also warned against “forces that seek to weaken and put an end to UNASUR.”
The socialist leader expressed confidence in the peace process in Colombia and in his counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, who initiated the talks to end the 50-year-old armed conflict two years ago.
“All indications are that we can be optimistic about the peace process in Colombia but we have to accelerate it,” he said. “We (Venezuela) will help in whatever way we have to in order to construct peace,” Maduro said.
The Venezuelan leader noted that there in the 10 years since the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) was created, many member countries have eradicated illiteracy among other important social advances. Maduro said the bloc will expand and make the Bank of ALBA more dynamic using the SUCRE for trade transactions, saying "it is stupid for us to continue to trade in a currency that is outside of our region.”
Maduro also dismissed recent remarks made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde, saying they show a lack of respect for the region. During a visit to Chile this week, Lagarde said "the proliferation of trade groupings, such as MERCOSUR, ALBA, UNASUR and SICA, has created a ‘spaghetti bowl’ of regimes and preferences whose aggregate benefits are unclear."
The Venezuelan president also criticized the impact of IMF policies on other countries, citing the rampant unemployment and deteriorating social situation in places like Spain.
When asked about the economic and political situation in his country, Maduro said the financial blockade against Venezuela will not stop the progress of the Bolivarian Revolution. “Venezuela is solvent. We have paid 12 billion dollars in debt service this year,” he said.
The Venezuelan leader also noted his government’s efforts to address sabotage of the economy, including speculation and hoarding, with 76 percent essential products “available in quantity and quality and at just prices.”
Maduro spoke about the social and political situation in the United States, especially given the recent attention of police brutality against Black males, saying President Barack Obama looked “defeated” and appears to be a “hostage of U.S. politics.”
“It seems that the Obama administration is caught in their own failed policies,” he said.
Maduro went on to criticize the U.S. president’s relations to Venezuela, saying Obama permits the U.S. embassy in Venezuela to “act in a dangerous way towards Venezuela.”
“I am currently investigating the actions of the US Embassy in Venezuela… We have a lot of information,” he said.
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