Venezuelan president pens New York Times letter against U.S. sanctions

World Today

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro addresses leaders during an emergency ALBA meeting at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 17, 2015. In the meeting, representatives from 12 nations decried what they called attempts by Washington to undermine Maduro with its recent decision to sanction Venezuelan officials accused of violating human rights during anti-government protesters last year. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan government published a letter in the New York Times to the people of the United States on Tuesday. In the letter, Maduro argued that Venezuelans are peaceful people and demanded that the recent sanctions passed by U.S. President Barack Obama March 9 be revoked, a TeleSur report said.

Maduro proposed to Venezuelans Sunday that the letter be available in “all the plazas of the country” and be signed by 10 million people.

“We’re going to run a giant campaign in every corner of the country, with soldiers, worker-soldiers, workers… and we’re going to… have at least 10 million people sign the letter and send it … to the White House,” Maduro said.