Venezuela expects Trump to repeal Obama's executive order

CARACAS - Venezuela on Sunday hopes that US President Donald Trump takes a different approach to bilateral ties than his predecessor Barack Obama.

"We hope he doesn't go down the road of obsession and irrationality, and understands that the executive order, which he has the power to repeal, is in effect repealed," Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in a televised interview.

Obama issued an executive order declaring the South American country to be an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security of the United States, sparking an outcry from the international community.

Trump could simply choose not to renew the order when it comes up for annual revision, the minister said.

Venezuela will continue to pursue dialogue with the US government as a means of resolving differences, she said.

The controversial executive order was issued in March 2015, to justify a series of sanctions against Venezuela and several of its government officials.