Washington DC [US], January 16 (HBTV): Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday (local time), marking their first face-to-face meeting since Trump directed a US military operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking to reporters after leaving the White House, Machado said, ‘We are counting on President Trump for the freedom of Venezuela’. She also offered her Nobel Peace Prize medal to the US President, according to Al Jazeera.
Supporters of Machado gathered outside the White House, waving flags and calling for freedom and political change in Venezuela. Adriana Molinero, one of the supporters, told ANI that she wanted to return to Venezuela and be part of rebuilding the country, adding that many people had suffered for expressing dissenting views. She praised Machado’s leadership and thanked Trump and Senator Marco Rubio for supporting their cause.
Another supporter, Isabel Hayek, told ANI that Machado represented the beliefs of Venezuelans and described her as a genuine leader. She said Machado would convey to Trump the respect she commanded among the people, while criticising the current leadership in Venezuela.
Earlier, US President Trump described Machado as ‘a very nice woman’ but said she did not have the internal support or respect required to lead the country.
Machado had previously said on the Fox News programme Hannity that she wanted to personally thank Trump for the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Meanwhile, the United States has made its first sale of Venezuelan oil worth USD 500 million, according to the Trump administration, as reported by New York-based outlet Semafor.
The development follows the capture of Nicolas Maduro 11 days ago. After the operation, Trump said the US would take control of Venezuela’s oil reserves and invite American companies to invest billions of dollars to refurbish the country’s oil industry, CNN reported.
(ANI)