Russia warns of 'provocation' against Venezuela

By Elena Teslova</p> <p>MOSCOW (AA) – The Venezuelan crisis has come to a red line, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.</p> <p>&quot;A dangerous large-scale provocation is scheduled on February 23,” Zakharova said at a wide-ranging news conference. “Washington's instigated and led transfer of the so-called humanitarian convoy is fraught with a clash of supporters and opponents of the current government, which forms a convenient pretext for a military operation to remove the current legitimate president from power.”</p> <p>The U.S. and NATO are working to buy arms in &quot;an Eastern European country&quot; to transfer to the Venezuelan opposition, she said, adding Washington continues with troops and military equipment shift to Venezuela’s borders.</p> <p> </p> <p>- Cuba is the next target</p> <p>Zakharova said Cuba is the next state where a military coup can be organized.</p> <p>A referendum for constitutional changes Feb. 24 can be used as a point for disagreements in which opponents can start a confrontation in an effort to overturn the government, she said.</p> <p>Remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about the necessity to change power in Cuba and a statement by Secretary-General of the Organization of Americans States about &quot;dictatorship in Cuba&quot; and &quot;undemocratic nature of the constitutional project,&quot; against the background of the Venezuelan crisis, raises serious concerns about possible developments in Havana, she said.</p> <p>&quot;Every nation has the right to choose the government at its own discretion and others have to respect this choice,&quot; she said.</p> <p> </p> <p>- First case of the leprosy in Rukban camp</p> <p>Turning to Syria, Zakharova said the first case of leprosy was reported in the Rukban refugee camp.</p> <p>Thousands of Syrians continue to suffer from appalling conditions in the camp in the deserts of Syria's border with Jordan. &quot;Dozens of casualties and the first case of the leprosy are registered in the camp,&quot; she said.</p> <p>The camp hosts 40,000 Syrians struggling in makeshift tents and muddy shelters.</p> <p>The Syrian Network for Human Rights has reported growing numbers of casualties in the camp due to starvation, disease and lack of medicine.</p> <p> </p> <p>- Russian-US efforts contribute to the Afghan reconciliation</p> <p>Russian-U.S. interaction on Afghanistan will boost national reconciliation there, she said.</p> <p>The number of territories under the control of the acting government is decreasing, according to Zakharova.</p> <p>&quot;Positive results of the inter-Afghan meeting in Moscow on Feb. 5-6 and talks between the U.S. Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad with the Taliban opened a path for a launch of inclusive peace process in Afghanistan,&quot; she said as she urged &quot;regional and international partners&quot; to provide assistance for Afghans.</p> <p> </p> <p>- US refused to reconfirm impossibility of a nuclear war</p> <p>Zakharova said Washington &quot;left unanswered&quot; a Russian proposal to reconfirm adherence of the two countries to continue efforts to prevent a nuclear war.</p> <p>That decision, along with the U.S. withdrawal from other disarmament treaties, creates tension in international relations, she said.</p> <p>&quot;All Russian proposals remains on the table,&quot; she said.</p> <p>In the last few decades the world has witnessed the destruction of the international legal base for disarmament.</p> <p>In October 2001, U.S. President George Bush announced Washington unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty — considered a pillar of international security.</p> <p>In October 2018, U.S President Donald Trump announced the exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).</p> <p>In a tit-for-tat response, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Feb. 2 that Moscow was suspending its obligations under the INF treaty.</p> <p>The treaty has been widely seen as a cornerstone of European security in the post-Cold War era after the U.S. and Russia signed it in 1987. It prohibits both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 300 – 3,100 miles (900 – 5,500 kilometers).</p> <p>The prolongation of the last &quot;pillar&quot;, the START Treaty, is currently under question as the U.S. links it with the INF Treaty.

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