Qatar wants to mediate in relations between the United States and Venezuela, The New York Times reported, citing its sources.
According to them, the Venezuelan government supports Qatar's efforts, but the US administration is more interested in military means than diplomacy. According to a senior US military official, the Pentagon has sent 10,000 troops to the Caribbean region. Most of them are stationed at bases in Puerto Rico. Doha, however, is trying to keep channels of communication open between Washington and Caracas.
The escalation of tensions between the United States and Venezuela has become one of 12 areas in which Doha is acting as a mediator, the newspaper notes.
The New York Times earlier reported that US President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to end all efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to the tension with Venezuela. According to the newspaper, influential Trump supporters, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have recently intensified their efforts to overthrow Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro through increased military pressure.
Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of not adequately fighting drug smuggling. The US Navy has already destroyed at least four motor boats in international waters in the Caribbean Sea, carrying people accused of drug trafficking from Venezuela. In his address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, Trump said the military would continue to attack ships it believes are linked to Venezuelan drug cartels "led by Maduro."