The United States is threatening to ban oil exports from
Venezuela, Jose Vicente Rangel, Venezuela's Vice President said on
Friday.
"There is a veiled threat from the US authorities to ban
Venezuelan oil," Rangel said, adding that the Venezuelan government
has been preparing for it.
"If we can sell gasoline to China, India and Latin America, as
we have been doing, we will not have a problem," he said.
But the Venezuelan government does not want to cut exports to
the United States, where it currently sells around 1.5 million
barrels a day, he said.
In response to a question about the likelihood of a US invasion
of Venezuela, Rangel said the US government is unpredictable, and
run by "a group of irresponsible mad men headed by George W.
Bush."
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However, apart from Bush, Venezuela has no problem with the
American people, he said.
Venezuela is cooperating with the United States in the fight
against drug trafficking, and is also supplying the US intelligence
agencies with information on people-smuggling and money laundering,
to help the US war on terror, he added.
Relations between Venezuela and the United States turned sour
seven years ago, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took power
and began accusing Washington of attempting to invade and
destabilize Venezuela, a charge which has been repeatedly denied by
Washington.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2006)
