Venezuela: US Two-Faced on Drug Traffic
Venezuela has condemned the US double standard in the fight against drug traffic, which it said Washington is trying to turn into a mechanism for intervention.

Underscoring Venezuela's willingness to collaborate with the United States, Minister of Interior and Justice Pedro Carreno said however, the country draws the line at accepting installation of military bases, flights over national territory or radar controlled by the US.

This is a free, sovereign, independent country with a government capable of fighting drug traffic, he stressed.

Pointing out that Venezuela is a victim of drug trafficking because the US is the main cause of drug production, as its main market, Carreño rejected US attempts to intervene in other nations on the pretext of fighting drug traffic.

He proposed instead creation of "Plans Miami, Washington or Negroponte [Undersecretary of State John Negroponte]" to reduce consumption, thereby diminishing production without a shot being fired or thousands of persons displaced in Latin American countries.

The minister suggested that the US Army mind its own sky, coasts and borders to prevent consumption, and called on US officials to dismantle its internal drug cartels.