“We will fight, or we will die,” the Venezuelan Ambassador, His Excellency Gerardo Argote, said

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Feb. 21, 2019– The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolás Maduro, has been under sustained pressure for some time now, and that pressure became more intense last month, when the United States recognized the Opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, who had declared himself the country’s interim president. Several other countries, including Britain, followed the US lead and also recognized Guaidó.

Notwithstanding its many challenges, the Maduro government continues to function and recently dispatched a new ambassador to Belize a month ago.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Belize, His Excellency, Ambassador Gerardo Argote, accompanied by his wife, visited Belize’s leading newspaper to update Amandala editor, Russell Vellos, and senior reporter, Rowland A. Parks, on the situation in his country.

Ambassador Argote said he has to tell us about the things that are happening in Venezuela. “Nobody can talk about what is happening in my country better than me,” the ambassador said.

Undoubtedly, there are many obstacles facing the South American country with the largest oil reserve in the Western Hemisphere; the pressures from the United States to oust its leader and the new sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration are some of the pressing issues facing the Maduro government.

Ambassador Argote, armed with maps and charts, explained how it was that Juan Guaidó came to prominence. Guaidó, the ambassador said, did not participate in the presidential election against Maduro, who was elected in the snap election that was held last May. The elections were scheduled to have been held in December 2018.

The two presidential candidates who opposed Maduro in the presidential election were Henri Falcón and Javier Bertucc. Juan Guaidó was elected as National Assembly Speaker, Ambassador Argote explained, so he had no right at all to make any claim to being an interim president. Ambassador Argote further explained that the Venezuelan constitution does not make any provision for an interim president.

“You are either the president, or you’re not the president,” he said.

The ambassador spoke of many things, including the daily attacks by the American, British and other media against Venezuela, saying that many lies were presented in their coverage of his country’s problems, which were caused, in the first instance, by the US administration’s hatred of his president, Nicolás Maduro.

“Why does the US hate Maduro?,” we asked him.

Ambassador Argote replied that it was because of former president Hugo Chavez, who was an unapologetic socialist, and was much hated by the US.

Maduro, he said, is a follower of Chavez, and refuses to be a puppet of American imperialism. Because of this, said the ambassador, Maduro is also hated by the US, which will do anything to bring about his downfall, aided by the American media, and media in countries allied with the US.

As regards Juan Guaidó, the ambassador said, “It’s crazy. He is a puppet of the United States. That man won as president of the Congress, so how could he become president?”

When we asked him which international media give fair coverage to Venezuela, Ambassador Argote said that Telsur provides good, accurate coverage, as well as Aljazeera.

He said that CNN and most of the American media deliver “fake news,” as well as the BBC.

“What does the so-called interim president, Guaidó, control?,” we asked Ambassador Argote.

“He controls Facebook and Twitter. He controls the social media networks,” Ambassador Argote explained, as he pulled out two identical pictures showing thousands of Venezuelans in a gathering.

Look carefully at the dates, he said. The two pictures, although they were the same, had different dates. “That’s it, fake news,” Ambassador Argote remarked.

We asked the Ambassador what ordinary Venezuelans think about the situation in his country presently.

“Right now, the normal people are afraid. Mr. Trump says all the options [including military] are on the table,” Ambassador Argote replied.

Ambassador Argote added, “We are a new generation of Venezuelans, we are socialists, we have the same rights.”
“What is the truth about the food situation, because we are hearing all kinds of things”, we asked him.

Ambassador Argote explained that the people go about their daily business every day, but the Americans are not being truthful when they say that the sanctions were just imposed. “Sanctions have been imposed from 2013 under the Obama administration”, he said.

“Venezuela has two very large oil refineries in Texas and 6,000 gas stations on [the] east coast of the United States, but the US took those,” Ambassador Argote disclosed.

Ambassador Argote added that between the US and the UK, they have taken about 35 billion dollars worth of Venezuelan assets, which Venezuela needs to take care of its citizens.

“Then they turn around and say, you cannot take care of yourself, you are a broken state,” he said.

“How can President Maduro survive the onslaught of the United States and the other powers arrayed against him?” we asked.

 “Yesterday, President Maduro accepted an envoy from Russia, who will bring almost 300 tons of medicine from Russia. We will pay for it. We are not begging. They want to put Venezuela as a begging country, but we are not beggars. This is the opposite of what the United States is doing,” he said.

“Venezuela will also be getting shipments of medicine from Cuba, India and China”, Ambassador Argote further explained. “And we will pay for them,” he said.

“What does the future hold for Venezuela?” we asked him.

“We will fight, or we will die,” the Ambassador simply replied.