The Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) yesterday urged the NPP government to condemn the US intervention in Venezuela.The JVP has condemned the US military aggression but the JVP-led NPP government has chosen to remain silent on the issue, critics of the JVP allege.

Dr. G. Weerasinghe, General Secretary of the CPSL, in a statement issued on Sunday, asked the government to take, what the party called, a principled stand by condemning this act of aggression and reaffirming the country’s commitment to an independent foreign policy free from the pressures of global power blocs.

The following is the text of Dr. Weerasinghe’s statement: “CPSL expresses its strongest condemnation of the abduction of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States. This act of international piracy ranks alongside the US abduction of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the murder of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo. By this action, the USA has once again revealed its true colours as a global terrorist rogue state.

The CPSL also condemns the deliberate bombing of civilian infrastructure in Venezuela. Reports indicate that the bombings have deliberately targeted facilities essential to the daily life and wellbeing of the Venezuelan people, causing civilian casualties as well as severe hardship to an already burdened civilian population. Such actions bear disturbing

resemblance to the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure carried out in Iraq, prior to the 2003 invasion; operations widely criticised by international observers at the time for their devastating humanitarian consequences. The deliberate targeting of civilian facilities constitutes a grave violation of international law and meets the definition of a war crime under established global norms.

The CPSL notes that this aggression cannot be separated from the broader imperialist objectives historically pursued by the United States. Venezuela possesses some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, a fact that has long placed it in the crosshairs of external powers seeking control over strategic energy resources. Analysts have frequently argued that similar motivations underpinned the invasion of Iraq, including concerns over oil access, geopolitical dominance, and the preservation of global financial arrangements favourable to US interests. In the present case, the attack on Venezuela is accompanied by rhetoric framed around phoney anti-narcotic operations, serving as a pretext for intervention.

The CPSL firmly rejects these justifications and stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people, who continue to resist external interference and defend their sovereignty.

The CPSL calls upon all democratic and peace-loving political parties, civil organizations, trade-unions and anti-imperialist forces to stand against barbaric actions of US imperialism and for independence and sovereignty of Venezuela.

Sri Lanka has historically upheld a proud tradition of non-alignment, grounded in the principles of respect for sovereignty, peaceful coexistence, and opposition to imperialist intervention. In this spirit, the CPSL calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to take a principled stand by condemning this act of aggression and reaffirming the country’s commitment to an independent foreign policy free from the pressures of global power blocs.

The CPSL reiterates its unwavering support for the Venezuelan people and urges the international community to oppose actions that undermine peace, stability, and the sovereign rights of nations.”