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Venezuelan president calls on U.S. to retract accusation against VP

Xinhua, February 15, 2017 Adjust font size:

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday demanded a retraction from the U.S. government, after it imposed sanctions on his vice president for alleged ties to drug trafficking.

Maduro called on his Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez to summon the U.S. charge d'affairs in Venezuela to deliver a note of protest and demand "the accusation be retracted."

On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami of aiding drug trafficking in the region, naming him a "Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker."

The designation bars U.S. individuals and entities from doing business with him, and freezes any property and assets held by him in the United States.

"Venezuela is going to activate all national and international legal, diplomatic and political means, in the United States itself, to counter, to undo this disgrace," said Maduro, adding the U.S. Treasury Department "has become the police, judge and jury."

During El Aissami's term as interior minister between 2008 and 2012, he dealt "the biggest blows ever to drug lords in Venezuela," said Maduro.

A total of 102 drug lords were captured in that time, and 21 wanted by the United States were extradited, according to Maduro. Endi