Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday she had begun direct international efforts to recover frozen Venezuelan assets and use them to respond to the disaster. Photo by Ivan Cardenas/EPA
July 9 (UPI) -- Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez said she will send a formal letter to King Charles III, seeking release of the country's gold reserves at the Bank of England, asserting the assets are needed to finance recovery efforts after the deadly June 24 earthquakes.
During a videoconference Wednesday with officials overseeing 87 temporary camps established for earthquake survivors, Rodríguez said she had begun direct international efforts to recover frozen Venezuelan assets and use them to respond to the disaster.
"That gold belongs to our people and should be used to address the terrible, tragic consequences of these twin earthquakes," Rodríguez said, according to TeleSur.
She also renewed calls for an end to sanctions against Venezuela, arguing the country has financial resources frozen abroad that could be used to fund reconstruction after the disaster, which has killed 3,800 people.
