Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is urging the United States and Venezuela to settle their disputes “through diplomacy and dialogue,” reaffirming his long-held position that the Caribbean must remain a zone of peace.
His appeal followed comments last week from U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated he had reached a decision on how Washington would proceed regarding Venezuela. Trump’s remarks came after a series of high-level briefings and a growing U.S. military presence in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford, the country’s largest aircraft carrier.
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“I sort of have made up my mind — yeah… I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Prime Minister Browne, responding Monday via Facebook, encouraged restraint: “We encourage President Trump to resolve the differences between the US and Venezuela through diplomacy and dialogue. Let’s continue to preserve our hemisphere as a zone of peace.”
His comments echoed a recent statement from Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders, who discussed rising regional security tensions and their implications for member states. Except for Trinidad and Tobago, which reserved its position, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and emphasized dialogue as the preferred path for resolving disputes. Caricom also reiterated its willingness to assist in efforts to de-escalate tensions.
In September, Caricom foreign ministers wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking assurances that any U.S. military action targeting Venezuela would not endanger regional stability and would not occur without prior consultation.
The United States has deployed an amphibious squadron, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers, and a guided-missile cruiser to the Southern Caribbean as part of a broader effort to counter Latin American drug cartels.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has strongly supported Washington’s anti-narcotics operations, took a hardline stance, saying she had “no sympathy for traffickers” and that the U.S. should “kill them all violently.”
Venezuela, calling the U.S. posture a direct threat, has responded by mobilizing its own troops along its borders.
