Last-Minute Push by Top Kerry Advisor Smoothed Over Americas Summit

[geek tragedy]

http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/13/last-minute-push-by-top-kerry-adviser-smoothed-over-americas-summit/

Though regional experts view Maduro’s reflexive anti-Americanism as increasingly unhinged, many have questioned the timing and choice of words of Obama’s executive order — in particular, its claim that Venezuela posed a “national security” threat.

During Shannon’s visit, tensions over that specific issue eased when a senior White House official clarified the language of the executive order in a conference call with reporters in Washington.

“The U.S. doesn’t believe that Venezuela poses some threat to national security,” White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said as Shannon landed in Venezuela. “We just have a framework for how we word executive orders.”

Then, a day later, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff spoke to Maduro on the phone. According to a statement by her office, she found that Maduro was willing to improve ties with the U.S. and offered assistance in facilitating dialogue.

[Jefferson23]

1. This keeps getting more interesting. K&R