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HAVANA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday demanded respect for his nation' s sovereignty and warned Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro of the consequences of applying sanctions to his government.
"These are not times for intervention or meddling, these are times for respect and Venezuela demands it", said Maduro in a speech at the VII Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in Havana, Cuba.
OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro last week called for an urgent meeting of the organization' s permanent council to debate the political situation in Venezuela and suggested the bloc's Inter-American Democratic Charter could apply to Caracas.
If this is approved in a meeting, which is set to take place between June 10-20, Venezuela could be suspended from the OAS.
Maduro has requested that regional leaders maintain their solidarity with Caracas in this "difficult time" for his administration.
"We are threatened by the OAS secretary general and he better not dare apply the democratic charter to our people. Venezuela is the queen of democracy in Latin America," vowed Maduro.
"Venezuela does not accept any tutoring or monitoring from any organization. We have requested the support of UNASUR and several former presidents to explore a possible dialogue between our government and the local opposition," he said.
Maduro thanked the summit' s initiative to approve a special declaration in support of political dialogue in Venezuela.
"It has been very difficult to hold talks with the opposition as they have tried violent and non-democratic ways to topple my government over the last three years," stressed the Venezuelan dignitary.
Other Caribbean leaders present at the summit ratified their support for Maduro' s administration and agreed that political dialogue should be used to solve the nation' s internal affairs.
Venezuela's government is facing an opposition at home hell-bent on a referendum to recall Maduro due to a severe economic crisis, chronic shortage of goods and spiraling inflation.
