MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) – A US sanctions bill against Venezuela has divided the US Congress, with some lawmakers saying the legislation will cripple US relations with Caracas and show the rest of the region that Washington does not care about their opinion.
“This bill does not advance US interests. It sends a message to our regional allies that we do not care about what they think,” Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks told Reuters.
The House of Representatives in the US Congress endorsed a bill Thursday to impose sanctions against several Venezuelan politicians allegedly implicated in human rights abuses in Venezuela, BBC reported.
The draft law calls for a standard package of travel bans and asset freezes for Venezuelan officials following waves of anti-government protests that saw scores of people killed and thousands arrested.
But the Obama administration and other lawmakers were not overly eager to back the sanctions, saying they would derail all previous attempts to establish a dialog with Washington’s regional partner, while others urged Congress to press on for the sake of the United States’ global image.
“The United States Congress must stand ready to act on the cause of freedom and democracy around the globe," Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in support of the legislation.
At least 42 people have died, 835 have been hurt and over 3,000 detained since protests broke out in Venezuela in February. In April, the Venezuelan government sat down at the negotiating table with protesters, but the talks collapsed after the opposition skipped them last week.
