Trump orders re-opening of Venezuela airspace

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES -  President Donald Trump said he had ordered commercial airspace over Venezuela to be reopened on Thursday, nearly four weeks after the US military operation to topple Nicolas Maduro.

Trump told a cabinet meeting he had just spoken to Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez "and informed her that we're going to be opening up all commercial airspace over Venezuela."

"American citizens will very shortly be able to go to Venezuela and they will be safe there. It's under very strong control," Trump said at the White House.

Trump added that he had instructed US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy "and everybody else concerned, including the military, that if you would, by the end of today, I'd like you to have the airspace over Venezuela" opened.

The United States has kept Venezuelan airspace closed to commercial flights since the January 3 military operation that captured leftist leader Maduro, who now faces trial on drug and terrorism charges in New York.

Trump also said that major oil companies were "going to Venezuela now, scouting it out and picking their locations."

Following the fall of Maduro, Venezuela's Rodriguez quickly signed oil agreements with Trump, who has declared that his administration now controls the sector -- the main engine of the Venezuelan economy.