Ecuadorian President refutes U.S. sanctions on Venezuela

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on Tuesday strongly criticized U.S. government for listing Venezuela as a "national security threat" and imposing sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials over human rights abuses and corruption.

"... Obama's executive order is grotesque ... This is clearly and absolutely an illegal attempt of destabilization," said the Ecuadorian leader through his twitter account.

Earlier Monday, Obama signed an executive order imposing additional sanctions on seven current and former Venezuelan officials over alleged human rights abuses and corruption.

The order bars the Venezuelan individuals -- all of whom are or were part of Venezuela's security apparatus -- from entering the United States, freezes any assets they may have there and prohibits Americans from doing business with them.

Obama also declared a "state of emergency" on Monday, citing the situation in Venezuela constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and the U.S. will take "further steps" in its relation with Venezuela.

This is the third round of sanctions Washington imposed on Caracas' officials in less than four months.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has responded by saying the U.S. measures are "intended to topple his government." Venezuela's Foreign Ministry has recalled its top diplomat in the U.S. for " immediate" consultations following President Obmama's announcement.

While expressing its solidarity with Venezuela, the Ecuadorian government said it considered the U.S. government's statements "a serious risk against peace and democracy in the Latin American region."

The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry has issued an official statement to "strongly reject Obama's executive order since it is an unacceptable attack on the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela." Endite