'No military action plan considered for Venezuela'

The US National Security Adviser (NSA) has said that no military action plan was currently being considered for Venezuela.

General H.R. McMaster (retd) said at a White House press conference on Friday that the US has no plans to take military action in Venezuela, but that President Donald Trump intended to take advantage of a broader range of "integrated options" in the future, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Any decision will be in conjunction with the partners of the region," he added.

Trump said earlier this month that he would not rule out a "military option" in Venezuela.

McMaster's remarks came after the announcement of a new round of US economic sanctions on the South American country, restricting the Venezuelan government's access to American debt and equity markets.

Earlier on Friday, the White House said in a statement that Trump has signed an executive order prohibiting dealings in new debt and equity issued by the government of Venezuela and its state oil company.

Primarily targeting the Venezuelan government, the US Treasury was issuing general licenses that allow for transactions that would otherwise be prohibited by the executive order.

The executive order also carved out short-term financing for most commercial trade, including the export and import of petroleum, said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday that his government is taking steps to defend the country against the US economic sanctions.

--IANS

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