The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela says the United States could suspend flights by Venezuelan airlines if Caracas carries out a threat to ban or restrict U.S. carriers flying to the South American nation.
Ambassador William Brownfield made the remark Tuesday, saying that under that situation, neither Venezuela nor the United States wins.
Last month, the Venezuelan government said it would cut the number of airline flights by U.S. carriers, saying the U.S. has not complied with bilateral aviation accords between the two countries.
The U.S. put restrictions on flights from Venezuela 10 years ago because of security concerns. Caracas has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get those restrictions removed and threatens to limit U.S. flights as of March 30.
The Venezuelan ban would put an end to flights between the two countries by Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines and restrict some by American Airlines.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.