MADURO'S VENEZUELAN MILITARY

Tillerson raises prospect of Venezuelan military ouster of Maduro.

AUSTIN : US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson one recent Thursday raised the prospect that the  Venezuelan military could decide to oust-

President Nicolas Maduro but said he did not know whether that would in fact actually happen.

In a speech at the University of Texas  ahead of Five-nation Latin America tour, Tillerson insisted that Trump administration was not advocating ''regime change'' in Venezuela but said-

It would be 'easiest' if  Maduro chose to leave power on his own.

He predicted that there would be ''change'' in Venezuela and said the United States wanted to be a  peaceful one.

''In the history of  Venezuela and fact the history in other Latin America and South American countries, often times, it is the military that handles that.

When things are so bad that the military leadership realizes that it just can't serve the citizens anymore. they will manage a peaceful transition,'' Tillerson said.

But he added that, ''Whether that will be case here or not, I do not know.''

[Agencies].