Venezuelan president rejects 'slave's peace' under US threat

CARACAS - Venezuela does not want 'a slave's peace', Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told supporters Monday as US military deployment has been "testing" his country for months.

"We want peace, but peace with sovereignty, peace with equality, peace with freedom; we do not want the peace of slaves or the peace of colonies. A colony never, slaves never," Maduro declared, noting that the 22-week US military "aggression" can be described as "psychological terrorism".

Maduro stressed that national power is grounded in citizen participation and "rests on the immense strength of its people, their awareness, their institutions, their rifles and their determination to build this homeland above any difficulty".

In his view, strengthening that social fabric makes national power "invincible, eternal and perpetual".

Maduro said the goal is to preserve "peace with dignity" by defending the republic and the country's political autonomy.

US President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Venezuela with a significant naval build-up in the Caribbean, carrying out strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs since September and issuing on Saturday stern warnings to stay clear of Venezuelan airspace.

Venezuela revoked the operating rights of six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country following a warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Maduro and his government have denied all criminal accusations and said the United States is seeking regime change to take control of Venezuela's vast natural resources, including oil.

In their phone call on Nov 21, Trump issued an ultimatum to Maduro, demanding he leave Venezuela, according to media reports.

Since early September, US troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing at least 83 people.