Venezuela slams US travel ban as ‘psychological terrorism’

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Europe

Venezuela accused the United States on Monday of "psychological terrorism" designed to bring down the government after it was included in a list of eight countries targeted by a travel ban, and called for a dialogue to overcome their ideological differences.

"These types of lists.... are incompatible with international law and constitute in themselves a form of psychological and political terrorism," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement also said the ban was seeking to "stigmatize" Venezuela "under the pretext of combating terrorism, by including it in a unilaterally drawn-up list and accusing other states of being alleged promoters of this terrible scourge."

People take part in a rally to protest travel ban under the Supreme Court order on the Muslim and refugee ban at Union Square in New York, June 29, 2017. /AFP Photo

"Venezuela categorically rejects the irrational decision by the United States government to once again categorize the Venezuelan people as a threat to national security... under the false pretense that they pose a terrorist threat."

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump extended a travel ban against five mostly Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia) to include citizens from Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Chad and Venezuela.

A statement issued by the White House said Trump was keeping his campaign promise to strengthen security standards for travel to the United States by imposing "certain travel limitations and restrictions" on nationals from those countries.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Washington was using the fight against terrorism for its own political ends.

Also on Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said his country was willing to dialogue with the US, but received only "attacks."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza offers a press conference after holding a meeting with the ambassadors of Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, September 4, 2017. /AFP Photo

In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Arreaza said Venezuelan "President Nicolas Maduro is always open to dialogue with Trump or any other leader, always within a framework of mutual respect."

"However, we are seeing one attack after another," he added.

"Governments like that of the United States are on the wrong side... when they fail to respect the most basic founding principle of the (United Nations) organization," said Arreaza.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency