The United States is taking the right position in backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president, but a diplomatic strategy that leads to free and fair elections, rather than more sanctions, is needed to help the nation, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said Thursday.
However, he told Fox News' "America's Newsroom," the key to such a plan's success is the Venezuelan military, and it still backs President Nicolás Maduro.
"He has been in for close to 10 years and he is pretty resilient," Richardson said. "There is a humanitarian crisis, too, of food and medicine that needs to get to the Venezuelan people."
A diplomatic solution would come from all angles, Richardson said, noting he thinks "we need to get the pope involved. We have got to get the U.N. involved. I think we have got to bring Cuba, who backs Maduro, into some diplomatic solution."
He said he is concerned the Trump administration does not have a strategy that accompanies the "right position we have taken so far."
Sanctions, though, are not working on Maduro, because he is still in power, Richardson said.
He added he thinks it is good there are more than 50 countries who back Guaidó, but there has to be an end game.
"Maduro is sticking with the Venezuelan military," Richardson said. "He is still there, and he is defiant. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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