Labour MP Emily Thornberry has condemned the US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, arguing that the real motive is oil, not drugs. The Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the raid, in which Maduro and his wife were seized by American Special Forces, violated international law and set a dangerous precedent.
Thornberry noted that Venezuela holds the world's largest oil reserves, estimated at 303 billion barrels. She pointed to Trump's own statements about 'getting back the oil that was stolen' as evidence that the operation was driven by resource interests rather than drug enforcement. 'If it was about drugs, there are many other countries that are much bigger sources,' she said.
The MP also highlighted Trump's recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been sentenced to 45 years in a US court for cocaine trafficking. 'If Trump was so worried about drugs from South America, why did he last month pardon Hernandez?' she asked.
Thornberry warned that the US action could encourage other nations to act similarly. 'Trump says Venezuela is in his “sphere of influence”. The worry is that China may think “Isn’t Taiwan in our sphere of influence?” And Putin thinking “And Ukraine is in mine”.' She stressed that international rules, established after World War II, must be upheld to prevent might from becoming right.
