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U.S. envoy in Venezuela to defuse tension ahead of Americas summit

Xinhua, April 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez met here on Wednesday with U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon, calling on the White House to repeal an executive order declaring Venezuela "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to its national security.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Shannon came to relay a message from President Barack Obama to his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, just two days before they meet face to face at the Summit of the Americas, which is due to open on Friday in Panama City.

According to local media reports, Shannon arrived in Caracas late Tuesday to ease U.S.-Venezuela tensions in the lead up to the summit.

Shannon was also expected to meet with Maduro in an effort to defuse the political dispute sparked by the executive order signed by Obama on March 9.

The U.S. administration has downplayed the decree ahead of the summit, repeating that the U.S. does not think Venezuela represents any threat to its national security. Endi