The Albany Gazette - Maduro due for first US court hearing after capture

Leftist strongman Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, Cilia Flores, who was forcibly taken out of Caracas in the US assault Saturday, which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force.

All eyes were on Venezuela's response to the swiftly moving events, and late Sunday, interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, in a potential win for Washington, stepped back from her initial defiance by offering to work with Trump.

"We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation," the former vice president said.

However, around 2,000 Maduro supporters, accompanied by a group of pro-Maduro paramilitaries and bikers, demonstrated Sunday in Caracas to demand his release from US custody.

Trump announced late Sunday that the United States was "in charge" of the South American nation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that discussions of Venezuela holding elections following Maduro's ouster were "premature."

- 'Need access to oil' -

When asked what he needs from interim leader Rodriguez, Trump said: "We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country."

Leading opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said that while the US intervention was "important" without the release of political prisoners and acknowledgement that he won the 2024 election, it was simply "not enough."

The Trump administration says it retains powerful economic leverage by blockading oil tankers from Venezuela. Trump has also threatened additional military attacks if needed.

While there are no known US forces left inside Venezuela, a huge naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, remains off the coast.

Details of the US operation were still emerging Monday, with Havana saying 32 Cubans were killed in the attack and Trump adding that Cuba itself was ready to fall after Maduro's capture.

"I don't think we need any action. It looks like it's going down," Trump said.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela's request. This will provide a platform for international concern over US intentions in the country of around 30 million people.

But what happens next in Venezuela, after a combined quarter-century of hard-left rule by Maduro and his late socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, remains unclear.

- Maduro associates still in power -

The White House indicated Sunday that it does not want regime change, rather that Maduro is gone and a pliant new government takes his place -- even if it is filled with his former associates.

Anointed by his mentor Hugo Chavez before the latter's death in 2013, Maduro kept a tight grip on power until his capture by US forces on Saturday.

Maduro ruled alongside Flores and three other powerful figures: Rodriguez, now Venezuela's interim leader, her brother Jorge, and their rival: hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

"It's like a club of five," a diplomatic source in Caracas told AFP under the condition of anonymity.

The US position leaves the Venezuelan opposition, which the Trump administration says was robbed of victory by Maduro, out in the cold.

Countries such as China, Russia and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation. Some US allies, including the EU, expressed alarm.

China called for Maduro to be "immediately released" in a condemnation of the US operation, which its foreign ministry said was a "clear violation of international law."

Iran said on Monday that its relations with close ally Venezuela remained unchanged and called for Maduro's release.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose country neighbors Venezuela, called the US action an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America, which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Petro rejected threats on Sunday of military action in Colombia made by Trump, who also accused the South American leader of drug trafficking.

burs-sms/jm/ane

(W.Williams--TAG)