US calls for Venezuelan leader Maduro to step down

WASHINGTON (AP) - 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 U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says the people of the South American country are "unwilling victims of a criminal narco-state."

She spoke Tuesday at a conference on Latin America at the State Department.

She says the May 20 elections in which Maduro is seeking re-election will be fraudulent if independent observers are absent.

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