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<h1 id="reader-title">Four Effects of the Blockade Against
Venezuela</h1>
<div id="reader-credits" class="credits">By Misión Verdad -
December 4, 2017<br>
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<h3>1. Funds were frozen for the import of
insulin</h3>
<p>Ever since President Donald Trump's
imposition of US financial sanctions against
Venezuela in August, the Venezuelan state
has confronted various difficulties trying
to import medicines and foodstuffs not
produced domestically. The financial
blockade directly affects routine
international payments for goods and
services.</p>
<p>The Venezuelan government has repeatedly
condemned this. On Sept. 7, President
Nicolas Maduro denounced in the National
Constituent Assembly the hold up in an
international port of a cargo of over
300,000 doses of insulin, thanks to the
"Donald Trump-Julio Borges pact."</p>
<p>President Maduro <a
href="http://vtv.gob.ve/vienen-en-camino-venezuela-logro-desbloquear-300-mil-dosis-de-insulina-que-estaban-congeladas-en-puertos-por-bloqueo-trump-borges/"
target="_blank">explained</a> that the
U.S.-based Citibank financial institution
refused to receive the money Venezuela was
depositing to pay for the importation of
this huge cargo of insulin for diabetic
patients. As a result, the insulin shipment
was held up for many days in port. President
Maduro explained, "Even though we have the
money to pay, they do not accept it."</p>
<p>"Starting this week, I hold Trump and
Borges responsible for the blockade of
medicines," President Maduro said, <a
href="http://misionverdad.com/la-guerra-en-venezuela/julio-borges-pidio-a-credit-suisse-en-abril-bloquear-a-venezuela"
target="_blank">referring to the requests</a> during
2017 by he leader of the Justice First party
for these boycott measures.</p>
<h3>2. Colombia's blockade of malaria medicine</h3>
<p>On Nov. 3, Vice President Tareck El
Aissami, <a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/news/Colombia-bloquea-venta-de-medicinas-a-Venezuela-20171103-0024.html"
target="_blank">denounced</a> that
Venezuela had purchased in Colombia a
shipment of Primaquine, an anti-malaria
medicine, but, "Once the laboratory (BSN
Medical) knew the final destination was the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's Health
Ministry, it arbitrarily blocked the
dispatch of this medicine on the orders of
Colombia’s president.”</p>
<p>President Maduro confirmed this saying,
"When we already had the money to buy the
medicines and went to pay for them, the
Colombian government forbade the sale of
these anti-malaria medicines to the
Venezuelan people. We will purchase them
elsewhere, people in Venezuela will not lack
the medicines to combat these diseases."</p>
<p>In fact, the Primaquine and other medicines
for chronic illnesses had to be <a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/news/Diez-millones-de-medicamentos-llegan-a-Venezuela-20170919-0060.html"
target="_blank">purchased in India</a>.</p>
<h3>3. Suspension of funds for buying food</h3>
<p>One year ago, Freddy Bernal,
secretary general of the Local Production
and Supply Committees (CLAPs), <a
href="http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/venezuela-afronta-guerra-financiera-activada-desde-exterior"
target="_blank">denounced</a> that,
already back then, Venezuela was suffering
an intense blockade of food imports.</p>
<p>He noted that, as part of the financial war
against Venezuela, international banks
suspended payments to foreign suppliers for
three months holding up the arrival of 29
container ships carrying supplies needed to
process and produce food products in
Venezuela.</p>
<p>Bernal explained, "We spent 68 days looking
for ways to pay and of course we have had to
tell the country that this badly affected
food distribution."</p>
<p>The CLAP food packages have drastically
reduced the effects of shortages and
inflation resulting from both the attacks on
Venezuela's currency and also the economic
siege from overseas. But, this past
September, 18 million packages <a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/news/Alimentos-no-pueden-llegar-a-Venezuela-por-bloqueo-de-EE.UU.-20170903-0029.html"
target="_blank">could not be distributed</a> because
payments were blocked. Venezuela's
authorities had to work with various allied
countries to triangulate payments so as to
bring the food products to Venezuela.</p>
<p>Chavista leader Aristóbulo Istúriz
condemned this sinister development before
the National Council of Economic Production
explaining that once the food products were
paid for, a shipping boycott was organized,
which meant the 600 containers involved had
to be shipped 100 at a time instead of
arriving in a single shipment.</p>
<p>Given these obstacles, clearly brought
about by the powerful, hegemonic states
opposed to Venezuela, the government
recently entered into <a
href="http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/339461/arribaran-al-pais-15-millones-de-cajas-con-alimentos-para-ser-distribuidas-semanalmente/"
target="_blank">contracts for weekly
imports from Mexico and Panama</a> of more
than 1.5 million packages of basic food
products into the ports of La Guaira in
Vargas state and Puerto Cabello in Carabobo
state for distribution across the country
via the CLAPs.</p>
<h3>4. Blocking of payments for travel by
Venezuelan sports teams</h3>
<p>But medicines and foods are not the only
major expressions of the de facto blockade
imposed on Venezuela's people. Sports are
also affected.</p>
<p>President Maduro <a
href="http://vtv.gob.ve/aviones-presidenciales-garantizaran-viajes-de-deportistas-venezolanos-luego-que-acuerdo-trump-borges-bloqueo-pagos-en-bancos-de-eeuu/"
target="_blank">also denounced</a> in the
National Constituent Assembly that, on Sept.
6, an international bank informed the
Bolivarian government that it was
"impossible" to carry out payments by
Venezuela to a U.S. financial institution
refusing to process the transfer of US$1.5
million from the Sports Ministry to pay
suppliers of airline tickets, accommodation
and other needs of leading athletes in
various Venezuelan sports delegations.</p>
<p>Although the government tried to unblock
the payments in order to pay for travel,
accommodation and related expenses,
President Maduro decided to place government
airplanes at the athletes' disposal, most
especially Venezuela's female volleyball
team, whose participation in the 2017 South
American championships was jeopardized by
the U.S. blockade against Venezuela.</p>
<p>The increase in areas affected by the
international blockade against Venezuela is
matched by the corresponding government
responses to ensure the necessary protection
of all Venezuela's people. International
alliances with the bloc of countries
challenging U.S. hegemony have allowed
Venezuela, with difficulty, to cope with the
U.S. authorities' tough measures which are
aimed at fomenting social conditions
clearing the way for the overthrow of the
Chavista government.</p>
<p>The blockade is applied so as to affect
Venezuela's population directly, but the
government has acted to neutralize or at
least mitigate the effects of the
"Trump-Borges pact," a new way of describing
the U.S. intervention and coup.</p>
<p><em>Translated by Tortilla con Sal. </em></p>
<p><em>Edited by Venezuelanalysis.com. </em></p>
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