THE United States lifted sanctions on a Venezuelan general today who defected to self-declared “interim president” Juan Guaido following last week’s disastrous coup attempt. 

At a press conference on Tuesday night, US Vice-President Mike Pence praised former Venezuelan intelligence chief general Manuel Cristopher Figuera for breaking ranks with the Maduro “regime” and rallying “to the support of the Venezuelan constitution and the National Assembly,” which has been defunct since March 2017.  

Pence told journalists: “In recognition of his recent actions in support of democracy and the rule of law, I am announcing today that the United States is removing all sanctions on general Manuel Cristopher Figuera, effective immediately. 

“As president Guaido builds a better future for Venezuela, we hope the action our nation is taking today will encourage others to follow the example of members of the military who’ve also stepped forward and taken a stand for the Bolivarian constitution and libertad.”

Pence also added that the US would extend sanctions on all 25 members of Venezuela’s Supreme Court if they continue to bring legal charges against those behind the US-backed coup.

Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign secretary Francisco Dominguez told the Star: “One individual’s defection from the military is not very significant. It will have very limited impact on the unity of the Venezuelan military.”

“What the US is actually trying to do is dangle a carrot to the military high command to get them to defect. In other words, the US are looking for traitors.

“The individual sanctions on the military leaders are very severe. The US is essentially blackmailing them. 

“What [US President Donald] Trump, Pence and [National Security Adviser John] Bolton are saying to the military leaders is if you behave — meaning if you betray the government and oust Maduro — you will be rewarded.

“They want to foster splits in both the armed forces and the government in order to create the conditions for US military aggression against Venezuela which Trump, Pence, [US Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo, Bolton and [US special envoy for Venezuela Elliott] Abrams are busily preparing.”