U.S. Plans Sweeping Measures Against Venezuela, Bolton Says

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government will announce new steps against the Venezuelan government as it ratchets up pressure on Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said.

Bolton said he’ll detail the “sweeping” new measures during a Tuesday conference in Lima where U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is also due to speak. The measures will have “a lot of potential consequences” for Maduro’s regime, Bolton told reporters in Peru’s capital, without providing details.

Bolton and Ross are in Lima for discussions organized by the Peruvian government about how to restore democracy in Venezuela. Delegates from more than 60 nations are also expected to attend, mostly from countries that recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful president.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their homeland to escape hunger, political repression and dysfunction under Maduro. Peru is the second-largest destination those migrants after Colombia. More than 50 countries including the U.S. have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president following Maduro’s 2018 re-election, which was tainted by high voter abstention and claims of fraud.

U.S. Sanctions

Bolton said Maduro’s government is feeling the pressure of U.S. sanctions, and expressed optimism about prospects for a change in government that will make way for new elections. The U.S. is opposed to elections while Maduro remains in power, he said.

The U.S. wants a peaceful transition, Bolton added, though he restated U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments that all options are on the table, including military action.

Bolton said he didn’t believe Maduro is serious about negotiating with the opposition and that he expects the situation in Venezuela to be resolved before the end of Guaido’s term as president of the National Assembly in January.

To contact the reporter on this story: John Quigley in Lima at jquigley8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Bruce Douglas, Walter Brandimarte

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