US Warship Puts Pressure on Venezuela  10/27 06:11

   

   PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (AP) -- A U.S. warship docked in Trinidad 
and Tobago 's capital Sunday as the Trump administration boosts military 
pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its President Nicols Maduro.

   The arrival of the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, in the capital 
of the Caribbean nation is in addition to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. 
Ford, which is moving closer to Venezuela. Maduro criticized the movement of 
the carrier as an attempt by the U.S government to fabricate "a new eternal 
war" against his country.

   U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Maduro, without providing evidence, 
of being the leader of the organized crime gang Tren de Aragua.

   Government officials from the twin-island nation and the U.S. said the 
massive warship will remain in Trinidad until Thursday so both countries can 
carry out training exercises.

   A senior military official in Trinidad and Tobago told The Associated Press 
that the move was only recently scheduled. The official spoke under condition 
of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly.

   Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has been 
a vocal supporter of the U.S. military presence and the deadly strikes on 
suspected drug boats in waters off Venezuela.

   U.S. Embassy Charg d'Affaires Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said in a statement 
that the exercises seek to "address shared threats like transnational crime and 
build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts."

   On Sunday, Venezuela said the "dangerous conduct of military exercises" in 
the waters of a neighboring country constitute a "serious threat" to the 
Caribbean region and a "hostile provocation" toward the South American nation, 
according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

   The visit by the warship comes one week after the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad 
and Tobago warned Americans to stay away from U.S. government facilities there. 
Local authorities said a reported threat against Americans prompted the warning.

   Many people in Trinidad and Tobago criticize the warship's docking in town.

   At a recent demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy, David Abdulah, the 
leader of the Movement for Social Justice political party, said Trinidad and 
Tobago should not have allowed the warship into its waters.

   "This is a warship in Trinidad, which will be anchored here for several days 
just miles off Venezuela when there's a threat of war," he said. "That's an 
abomination."

   Caricom, a regional trade bloc made up of 15 Caribbean countries, has called 
for dialogue. Trinidad and Tobago is a member of the group, but 
Persad-Bissessar has said the region is not a zone of peace, citing the number 
of murders and other violent crimes.