Maduro says Venezuela is open to US talks on drug trafficking, but remains silent on CIA strikes

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela is open to negotiating a deal with the United States to combat drug trafficking, the South American nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro, said in a recorded interview broadcast Thursday on state television, but he declined to comment on a CIA-led strike last week in a Venezuelan ship docking area that the Trump administration believes is being used by cartels.

In an interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramone, Maduro confirmed that the United States wants to force a government change in Venezuela and access its vast oil reserves through a months-long pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment in the Caribbean Sea in August.

“What are they after? It is clear that they are seeking to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force,” Maduro said, later adding that it was time for both countries “to start talking seriously, with data in hand.”

“The United States government knows, because we have told many of its spokesmen, that if they want to have a serious discussion of an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we are ready,” he said. He added: “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for American investment, as is the case with Chevron, whenever they want it, where they want it, and however they want it.”

Chevron is the only major oil company that exports Venezuelan crude to the United States. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world.

Watch the clip in the player above.

The interview was recorded on New Year’s Eve, the same day the US military announced strikes against five drug smuggling boats. These latest attacks bring the total number of known boat attacks to 35 and the death toll to at least 115 people, according to figures announced by the Trump administration. Venezuelans are among the victims.

Read more: All US military strikes against alleged drug boats

President Donald Trump justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the United States was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. The strikes began off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea and then spread to the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, the CIA was behind a drone attack last week on a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with the details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter. It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the boat attacks began, and a major escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign on Maduro, who is accused of drug terrorism in the United States.

In response to a question about the operation on Venezuelan territory, Maduro said that he could “talk about it in a few days.”

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.