PM denies US war plot, says naval buildup is for drug interdiction, not invasion of Venezuela

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has rejected new claims from the Venezuelan government about the presence of US naval vessels in the southern Caribbean Sea as the prelude to an American military invasion of the South American nation.

She made this comment on September 1 in response to statements made by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro about the US naval vessels being deployed outside of Venezuela's territorial waters for what the Trump administration has said is an operation to combat drug cartels. Maduro held a media conference earlier in the day.

Maduro said he would "constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if Venezuela was attacked by US military forces that have been deployed to the Caribbean.

He said, “In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela.”

Venezuela has responded to the US naval deployment by deploying troops along its coast and border with Colombia. The Venezuelan government has also issued a call to Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

Maduro has vowed to activate a 4.5 million-strong militia if the US invades Venezuela.

In a WhatsApp comment on September 1, Persad-Bissessar said, "Thus far, there is no evidence of any planned attack against Venezuela by the American navy."

She added, "The US government has made it crystal clear that this is a drug interdiction operation."

Persad-Bissessar has publicly expressed Trinidad and Tobago's support for the US military deployment. She said TT will not be engaging Caricom on this issue and all Caricom member states could speak for themselves. TT has responsibility for national security in Caricom's quasi-cabinet.

On August 26, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified TT as part of an alliance the US has formed to combat the flow of illegal drugs into the US. Guyana, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Argentina are the other countries in that alliance. Rubio repeated the importance of this alliance in a statement to congratulate TT on the 63rd anniversary of its independence.

Persad-Bissessar has publicly supported this alliance.

"We will work with anyone to fight the scourge of drugs, arms, and human trafficking. I will accept any help that is available to make our community safe again."

Persad-Bissessar also described Maduro’s claims about an imminent US invasion as ironic.

"The irony is that Maduro is simply falsely accusing the US government of the exact behavior that he and his administration have targeted Guyana for a number of years."

Venezuela and Guyana have a longstanding dispute over the Essequibo border region between them. Persad-Bissessar has promised that if the US wishes to use TT's territory as a counter-offensive to any Venezuelan military incursion into Guyana, the government will grant that request.

The Aegis guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham are already in the Caribbean. The destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie have joined them.

USS Newport News, a fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine carrying Tomahawk missiles, will soon join them.

Tomahawk missiles are used for precision, long-range land attack warfare against heavily defended fixed targets such as command centers, air defense sites, and other critical infrastructure.

The amphibious assault ships USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale, and landing helicopter dock USS Iwo Jima are set to join these vessels. The vessels assembling in the southern Caribbean have approximately 4,500 personnel on board.

Half of them are members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), an elite special force unit within the US Marine Corps.

The MEU is a forward-deployed, crisis-response force for US national interests worldwide. Those missions include combat, anti-terrorism, and humanitarian relief operations.

The MEU's last action in the Caribbean was as part of Operation Urgent Fury during the US military invasion of Grenada in 1983 after then prime minister Maurice Bishop was executed in a coup. That operation also reportedly involved units from the US Army's elite Delta Force and the US Navy SEALS. TT did not support Operation Urgent Fury.

On August 30, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles said the population should note the type of vessels being deployed in the southern Caribbean.

"You are talking about nuclear submarines and you are talking about two additional vessels coming here. That's serious business and for us (Caricom) as a zone of peace, we need the information."

Beckles has called on Persad-Bissessar to explain what TT has promised the US when it joined this alliance.

On September 1, Maduro called Rubio a “warlord” pushing for action in the Caribbean to topple Venezuela's government. He also warned US military action against Venezuela would “stain” US President Donald Trump's “hands with blood.”

Venezuela has also made an official complaint to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the US naval buildup violating the UN Charter. Any UN member state violating the charter can be expelled from the UN by its General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.