Venezuela’s Maduro Closes Embassy in US, Endorses Dialogue Call by Mexico, Uruguay

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered Thursday the closing of the embassy and consulates of his country in the United States, a day after breaking diplomatic relations with Donald Trump’s government, Telesur reported.

Speaking from the Supreme Justice Court (TSJ), Maduro said that the international strategy’s objective is to intervene in Venezuela through a puppet president.

“There’s a great provocation, led by the U.S. empire, happening now in Venezuela. There’s no doubt in the world that it’s President Donald Trump who wants to impose a de facto, unconstitutional government. It’s a coup in Venezuela against the people and democracy,” said Maduro.

The crisis between the two governments escalated this week when the White House backed the swearing in of opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as “interim president” against the constitution and international law. The Venezuelan president also gave the U.S. delegation until Sunday to leave the country.

“They want to break the republic, the nation, they want to declare an unconstitutional president … Their imperial lord Mike Pompeo organized this, it was him who gave the order,” Maduro said speaking of the attempted parliamentary coup against his elected progressive government.

He also explained that problems that the two countries had should have been resolved through deplomacy, without having to interfere in foreign countries issues.

“Imperialism was playing ahead. Since January 2018 it said: We won’t recognize any presidential election called in Venezuela,” he said.

Maduro said to be in favor of the call for dialogue made to the country as a whole by the governments of Uruguay and Mexico. “I can face the worst difficulties because I know I have the strength of the people.”

He also congratulated the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) for their support and recognition to the Bolivarian government

“The military power has spoken and it’s sticking to the Constitution, the homeland and the people. What the opposition right-wing did was a false move, improvised, full of manipulation and lies. They can’t deal with the legitimate government,” he said.

Putin: Foreign interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs grossly violates international law

 Russia’s President Vladimir Putin pledged his support for the elected government of Venezuela during a phone call with President Nicolas Maduro. He also criticized the “destructive external meddling” to which the country has been exposed.

According to RT, The Russian president has expressed his support to the legitimate authorities of Venezuela in this time of political crisis which was caused by a “destructive external interference that grossly violates the most basic norms of the international law.”

Putin and Maduro also agreed to continue cooperation between the countries “in various fields.”

Russia, China Caution US Against A Venezuelan Coup

 Moscow and Beijing issued statements Thursday in support of Venezuela against U.S. meddling with the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic through military interference, which includes a planned coup d’état, according to Telesur.

The Russian ministry says “only Venezuelans have the right to determine their future,” and that “destructive external intervention is unacceptable,” citing a catastrophic outcome, the Interfax news agency reported.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia indicated that the United States’ intention to interfere with Venezuela was unsurprising, further noting that “the swearing in of a ‘president in charge of Venezuela’ opposition, and its immediate recognition in that capacity by the U.S. and several regional states, aims to increase the division in Venezuela, incite violence and essentially seeks to destabilize the internal political situation and further escalate conflict.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the “duality of powers, intentional and, obviously, well thought out” in the Latin American country “is a direct path to chaos and the destruction of the foundations of the Venezuelan State.”

Meanwhile, China also declared full support for the Venezuelan government, sternly rejecting the “intrusion in internal affairs” of the country by the United States, who backs illegitimate self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido.

“China supports the efforts of the Government of Venezuela to maintain its sovereignty, independence and stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying remarked in a press conference.

The Chinese official express opposition to all external interference and recommends a peaceful resolution within the framework of Venezuela’s Constitution.

“We hope that all parties will oppose any external interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela, the complication of the situation will not contribute to the maintenance of stability,” Hua said to TASS.

“We always follow the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, we oppose foreign interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela and we hope that the international community will also follow this principle.”

US-backed coup in Venezuela could lead to civil war, experts warn

Experts have slammed foreign interference into Venezuela’s internal affairs and warned that the US-led recognition of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as legitimate president could lead the country into bloody civil war.

“There is a great danger that this could lead to a civil war,” former US diplomat Jim Jatras told RT. “If the military splits, or the police, we could have very serious violence in this country.”

“Millions of Venezuelans rose out of poverty during the Bolivarian revolution. They are not going to accept the imposition of the US- chosen new president,” Brian Becker from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition told RT, warning that if civil war erupts it will be a “bloodbath.”

Analysts have called Trump’s recognition of the leader of the National Assembly a blatant interference into the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.

There has been a project which the US government started …. to restore US influence and to promote the most right-wing governments,” Becker explained, noting that Venezuela’s pro-Washington neighbors might be used to fuel the coup in Caracas.

Becker’s colleague Gloria La Riva stressed that Washington is very interested in laying its hands on Venezuela’s vast natural reserves.

“If the US is now recognizing a fake leader of Guaido, then US courts will try to expropriate the oil reserves of Citgo, the properties of Citgo, which is owned by Venezuela in the United States,” La Riva told RT.

H.M