Excerpts: Saudi optimistic about Trump's rule. Venezuelan Pres.

Excerpts: Saudi optimistic about Trump’s rule. Venezuelan Pres. denounces
anti Trump campaign January 17, 2017

+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon) 17 Jan.’17:”Saudi Arabia ‘Optimistic’ about
Trump’s Rule” ,by Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Saudi ‘optimistic’ about Trump rule

FULL TEXT:U.S. ally Saudi Arabia is “optimistic” about Donald Trump’s
impending presidency, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Monday[16 Jan],
hailing Trump’s stern line on arch-Saudi rival Iran and promise to defeat
the Islamic State group.

“When we look at the Trump administration’s view as articulated — wanting
to restore America’s role in the world — we welcome this,” Jubeir told a
group of reporters during a visit to Paris.

“Wanting to defeat ISIS: absolutely. Wanting to contain Iran and prevent it
from causing mischief through its negative policies in the region:
absolutely, we have been calling for this for years,” he said.

“Our interests align,” he said, declaring that Washington and Riyadh also
shared the same objectives on Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, terrorism and
“energy issues.”

“We look forward to working with them (Trump’s team) in all the areas that
are of interest or concern to both of us,” he said.

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon 17 Jan.’17:”Maduro Denounces ‘Hate Campaign’Aimed
at Donald

Trump”,by Agence France Presse

SUBJECT::Venezuelan Pres. denounces anti-Trump campaign

QUOTE:”Pres.Maduro: ‘Big international media have speculated a lot’he told
reporters.”, “ ‘We are surprised by the hate campaign against Donald
Trump –brutal—in the whole world,in the western world, in the United States’
“

FULL TEXT:Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday[16 Jan] denounced a
“hate campaign” aimed at Donald Trump, saying the US president-elect’s
administration would not be “worse” than Barack Obama’s.

“Big international media have speculated a lot,” he told reporters. “We are
surprised by the hate campaign against Donald Trump — brutal — in the
whole world, in the western world, in the United States.”

The socialist president said he will wait until Trump takes over the White
House on Friday[Jan] before making judgments on the incoming US president’s
foreign policy.

“I want to be cautious,” he said. “He won’t be worse than Obama, that’s the
only thing I would venture to say.”

Maduro said he foresaw “major changes in global geopolitics” and expressed
his desire “to have relations of respect, communication and cooperation.”

Venezuela is plagued with soaring crime, runaway inflation and a sharply
contracting economy, worsened by falling oil prices.

The opposition blames Maduro’s economic policies and mismanagement for the
crisis. He contends it is the product of a US-backed capitalist conspiracy.

During the 2016 US election the Venezuelan government voiced anger over
parallels drawn between Trump and the late former Venezuelan president Hugo
Chavez.

The US has had a strained relationship with the Latin American country since
Chavez — famous for his anti-American rhetoric — took over as its
president in 1999.
===========================
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA