US calls for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to step down

Washington: The Trump administration is calling for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down to protect the safety and security of the Americas.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told a conference on Latin America at the US State Department that the people of the South American country were "unwilling victims of a criminal narco-state."

She said the May 20 elections, in which Maduro is seeking re-election, would be fraudulent if independent observers were absent.

On Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence urged members of the 35-nation Organisation of American States to suspend Venezuela.

AP