Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that President Nicolás Maduro sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he was willing to hold direct talks with Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell.
"The letter was delivered Sept. 6 to a South American intermediary to be passed on to its recipient. ... In it is reflected Venezuela's irrefutable truth: We are a territory free of illicit activities, peaceful and secure," Rodríguez said on Telegram, where she also published the letter.
It added: "The military threat against Venezuela, the Caribbean and South America must cease, and the proclamation of a Zone of Peace must be respected."
In the letter, Maduro said "many controversies have arisen around the relationship between the United States and Venezuela. In the midst of these controversies we have witnessed countless fake news stories circulating in the media."
He recalled "the fake news claiming that Venezuela had refused to accept migrants returning to our country," adding that the issue "was resolved and clarified quickly in a conversation with Grenell, Trump's special envoy to Venezuela."
