Venezuelan Police Break Up Protest Camps in Caracas, White House Says Sanctions Not Now
Local Editor
Venezuelan police arrested about 250 anti-government protesters on Thursday after finding a great amount of drugs and hand-made explosives intended for use against the government in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, while US lawmakers said they are pushing for sanctions against the country, according to Reuters on Friday.
Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said on Thursday that police found a great amount of drugs and hand-made explosives intended for use against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.
He said that security forces broke up four protest camps in front of the UN offices and captured 243 protesters after finding the drugs and explosives.
Security forces recently arrested 58 foreigners accused of sparking anti-government protests that have rocked the country for the last three months.
The arrested foreigners included Colombians, an American, a Spaniard and an Arab, the interior minister told a press conference on May 2.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers are pushing for sanctions against Venezuela, but the Obama administration has said not now.
The White House insisted that sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro's government at this time would harm negotiations between the government and opposition, Reuters reported on Friday.
Assistant US Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the issue on Thursday, saying that the administration does not rule out the imposition of sanctions on Venezuelan government officers if the situation in the country does not improve.
Illinois Democratic Senator Richard Durbin asked for going beyond targeted sanctions on individuals and considering barring imports of Venezuelan oil.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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