Venezuelan President asks US people for solidarity

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asked the American people to show their solidarity and avoid a "Vietnam in Latin America."

In a video posted on Facebook late Tuesday, Maduro said "I am appealing to your conscience, I am appealing to your solidarity ... if the United States intends to intervene, it will have a Vietnam worse that it can imagine. Let's not allow violence."

"Those who run the empire in the United States, want to get their hands on our oil just like they did in Iraq and Libya," Maduro said.

"We are a country with large energy resources, large natural resources, that's the real truth of why there are so many constant attacks against Venezuela," he said.

The bulk of the news circulating in the United States about Venezuela has been fabricated to justify an intervention, he added.

"A global campaign has been launched of fake manipulated images ... do not believe what the television and media outlets in the United States say," Maduro said.

Maduro added that his government seeks "respectful, close" ties of cooperation with the United States which, he said, "is much bigger than Donald Trump."

Relationship between Venezuela and the United States worsened after Washington decided to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.