Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says Caracas-Washington ties could not be normalized unless the US ends its Å“imperialistic attitude” towards Latin America.
Improved relations with the United States Å“does not depend on just us, it depends on them (US). If they can rectify (this) and are able to, which I doubt, there will be another position; we will renew dialogue,” Maduro told a cheering audience in the Caribbean state of Monagas on Tuesday.
On Friday, Venezuela said it was ending efforts to improve ties with Washington that started in early June.
The decision followed remarks by US President Barack Obamaâ„¢s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations.
During her confirmation hearing before a US Senate committee on July 17, Samantha Power pledged to oppose what she called a crackdown on civil society in a number of countries, including Venezuela.
On July 18, Maduro denounced Powerâ„¢s remarks as Å“outrageous” and demanded Å“an immediate correction by the US government.”
Venezuela and the United States have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010.
But on the sidelines of a regional summit in Guatemala in June, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua agreed that officials would Å“soon” meet for talks that could lead to an exchange of envoys.
But the strain in relations between the two nations have intensified following the US support for Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who disputed the results of the April presidential election, in which Maduro won the race with nearly 51 percent of the vote against 49 percent for Capriles.
In March, Caracas expelled two US military attaches on charges of making attempts to foment instability in Venezuela.
Recently, Venezuela has offered asylum to Edward Snowden, a former technical contractor for the US National Security Agency (NSA) who is wanted in the United States for leaking details of Washingtonâ„¢s secret surveillance programs.
MRS/MHB
Republished from: Press TV