CARACAS, May 2 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on air of the national television on Wednesday he was ready to adopt a special plan of changes to the system of the country’s administration. "I declare Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, the days of the great national dialogue, actions and proposals of all representatives of the people’s authority, so that they would tell the Bolivarian government and Nicolas Maduro what is necessary to be changed," the Venezuelan president stated. "I want to adopt a plan to change and improve everything, to correct mistakes," Maduro added. Protests erupted in Caracas and several other cities in Venezuela after a group of military servicemen sided with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. According to earlier reports, during the protests, which resulted in clashes with security forces, a few dozen people were injured in the capital of the country. Guaido posted a video on Twitter on Tuesday urging the Venezuelan military to take to the streets in order to "end the usurpation" in the country. A group of military officers and head of the Popular Will party Leopoldo Lopez appeared Guaido’s video. National Assembly’s deputy from the state of Miranda Manuela Bolivar stated on Wednesday night that at least 78 people were injured in clashes with law enforcers during anti-government protests in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and 89 more were arrested. Venezuelan Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday that at least eight law enforcers were wounded in clashes with protesters.
0 Comments
Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido calls for military uprising against Nicolas Maduro30/4/2019 CARACAS, April 30 -- Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising, in a video shot at a Caracas air base showing him in front of a group of soldiers and accompanied by previously-detained activist Leopoldo Lopez. In the three-minute video shot early Tuesday, Guaido said soldiers who took to the streets would be acting to protect Venezuela's constitution. He made the comments a day before a planned anti-government rally. "The moment is now," he said, as his political mentor Lopez and several heavily armed soldiers backed by a single armored vehicle looked on. Lopez has been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014. He said Tuesday that he had been freed by members of the military, and reiterated Guaido's call on all Venezuelans to peacefully take to the streets. "Today, valiant soldiers, valiant patriots, valiant supporters of the constitution, have answered our call," declared Guaido in the video. He addressed the rest of Venezuela's security services, which have thus far remained loyal to President Nicolas Maduro: "I invite you to take to the streets." There appeared to be about two dozen troops behind Guaido in the video posted early Tuesday morning, with a couple of armored vehicles behind them. The Trump administration was one of the first major world powers to recognize Guadio as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, shunning Maduro after a 2018 election widely deemed flawed and undemocratic saw him win another term. WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Erik Prince - the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump - has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela's socialist president, Nicholas Maduro. Over the last several months, the sources said, Prince has sought investment and political support for such an operation from influential Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles. In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch. One source said Prince has conducted meetings about the issue as recently as mid-April. White House National Security Council Spokesman Garrett Marquis declined to comment when asked whether Prince had proposed his plan to the government and whether it would be considered. A person familiar with the administration's thinking said the White House would not support such a plan. Venezuela opposition officials have not discussed security operations with Prince, said Guaido spokesman Edward Rodriguez, who did not answer additional questions from Reuters. Politically far-fetched The Maduro government did not respond to a request for comment. Some US and Venezuelan security experts called it politically far-fetched and potentially dangerous because it could set off a civil war. A Venezuelan exile close to the opposition agreed but said private contractors might prove useful, in the event Maduro’s government collapses, by providing security for a new administration in the aftermath. A spokesman for Prince, Marc Cohen, said this month that Prince "has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela" and declined to answer further questions. Lital Leshem - the director of investor relations at Prince's private equity firm, Frontier Resource Group - earlier confirmed Prince’s interest in Venezuela security operations. "He does have a solution for Venezuela, just as he has a solution for many other places," she said, declining to elaborate on his proposal. The two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch said it calls for starting with intelligence operations and later deploying 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire from Colombia and other Latin American nations to conduct combat and stabilisation operations. 'Dynamic event' For Prince, the unlikely gambit represents the latest effort in a long campaign to privatise warfare. The wealthy son of an auto-parts tycoon has fielded private security contractors in conflict zones from Central Asia to Africa to the Middle East. One of Prince's key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a "dynamic event" to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido - the head of Venezuela's National Assembly - declared Maduro’s 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency. Maduro has denounced Guaido, who has been backed by most western nations, as a US puppet who is seeking to foment a coup. CARACAS, April 7 -- The Venezuelan system of electricity generation and distribution was attacked not merely from the United States but also from South American countries, President Nicolas Maduro said at a rally in the capital of the country. "I have already said that we confirmed the version of attacks governed from Houston and Chicago during the investigation," Maduro said. "We found new sources of aggression from Chile and Columbia, used to damage the power system of Venezuela," he noted. Venezuela sees major disruptions in operations of the power supply systems affecting the majority of regions from early March. The shutdown of the largest scale occurred in the country on March 7, when Caracas and the majority of states were left without electricity for several days. More than five million Venezuelans took place in the Saturday marches in support of the government, Maduro noted. "Today, more than five million Venezuelans mobilized all over the country for the operation in support of the freedom and it was successful," the president said. Maduro asked governments of Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia and countries of CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) to help in establishing the dialog between the government and the opposition in Venezuela. "Venezuela asks for help and support in setting the dialog for achievement of mutual understanding among Venezuelans. I confirm my desire and readiness to find a solution through talks for the sake of the future of the country," Maduro said in his speech during the rally. Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia and fourteen member-states of CARICOM should give a new impetus to the mechanism for resolution of crisis in Venezuela, he said. "The dialog will be able to start with their assistance," he added. CARACAS, April 4 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has put the country’s military on alert because of a plot by the opposition to assassinate him that was exposed. He called on militia units to join the pro-government armed forces known as colectivos, the Venezuelan leader said in a phone interview with Venezolana de Television TV. "I know about their criminal plans - those who lead the opposition - their plans to kill me," Maduro specified. According to him, because of this, "the country’s military units have been put on alert" and a decision was made to beef up "intelligence and counterintelligence activities." Maduro said that the militia joining the colectivos was necessary to "ensure peace" in Venezuelan cities and towns. President Maduro said that this measure "is constitutional, legitimate and necessary." The criminals "paid off" by the forces opposing the current authorities shouldn’t be allowed to incite violence. The Venezuelan leader also believes that the nation’s current opposition headed by Juan Guaido is "the most criminal" over the last 20 years. Maduro once again accused his political opponents inside the country and the US administration of sabotaging the country’s power plants and stations that had led to serious problems with power supplies. Since late March, Venezuelans unsatisfied with the lack of water and electricity have been protesting in Caracas and other cities around the country. According to the Foro Penal Venezuelan non-governmental organization, from March 29 to April 1 almost 50 people were detained during these protests. The demonstrations turned sour on a number of occasions, but no one was injured in the clashes with the police and pro-government forces. On January 23, Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, most of the EU states, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro. CARACAS, April 2 -- Venezuela’s Supreme Court has asked the Constituent Assembly to strip opposition leader Juan Guaido of parliamentary immunity over his violation of a ban on leaving the country. "A request will be sent to the Constituent Assembly’s president that Juan Guaido be stripped of parliamentary immunity for failing to abide by the Court’s decisions," Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno said, as cited by the El Nacional newspaper. Venezuela’s Supreme Court earlier barred Guaido from leaving the country. However, on February 22, he traveled to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, which hosts a humanitarian aid distribution center. Guaido returned to Venezuela after visiting Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador. Venezuela crisisOn January 23, Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. On February 4, most of the European Union member states recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro, while China called for resolving all differences peacefully and warned against foreign interference. The United Nations secretary general, in turn, called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. DEN HAAG, March 28 -- The United States has got cart blanche from The Netherlands to use the Curacao island (which is part of the kingdom) as a springboard for aggressive intervention in Venezuela, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday. "We’ve taken note of the agreement signed between the Netherlands and the United States on using the infrastructures of the Curacao island for humanitarian supplies to Venezuela," she said. "At first sight this agreement merely opens access for US officials to Curacao’s infrastructures exclusively for providing humanitarian aid, but, as it has turned out, this deal does not rule out the possibility of using not only civilian but other means of delivery. Of what type? Clearly, military ones." "In the context of the current realities The Hague has in fact given the Americans a free hand to use its former colony as a springboard for aggressive intervention in Venezuela’s affairs under the cover of humanitarian slogans," Zakharova stated. "We hope that the Curacao authorities will not allow the island’s territory to be used as a springboard for another Western adventure capable of destabilizing the situation in the region." WASHINGTON, March 28 -- US President Donald Trump has called on Russia to pull its troops from Venezuela and warned "all options" were open to making that happen. The arrival of two Russian air force planes carrying nearly 100 Russian troops outside Caracas on Saturday has escalated the political crisis in Venezuela. Russia and China have backed President Nicolas Maduro, while the United States and most Western countries support opposition leader Juan Guaido. In January, Guaido invoked the constitution to declare himself interim president, arguing Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. The US government says the Russian troops include special forces and cybersecurity personnel. "They've got a lot of pressure right now. They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing. They've got plenty of pressure right now. They have no electricity," Trump said. "Other than military, you can't get any more pressure than they have... All options are open," he added. Russia has bilateral relations and agreements with Venezuela, which it plans to honour, Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said, in response to Trump's comments. "It's not up to US to decide actions and fate of other countries. It's only up to the people of Venezuela and its only legitimate President Nicolas Maduro," Polyanskiy said on Twitter. Maduro also said a high-profile Venezuelan-Russian intergovernmental meeting will be held in April, adding the sides plan to sign nearly 20 agreements in the spheres of economy, energy, trade and education. The president also announced that Caracas awaits another delivery of humanitarian aid from Moscow. On February 22, the Latin American country received 7.5 tonnes of humanitarian cargo from Russia, including medicine, medical equipment and consumables. CARACAS, March 26 -- Venezuela has been left without power for the second time in 24 hours following an act of sabotage at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant, the country’s Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday, as cited by the Venezolana de Television TV channel. According to Rodriguez, the blackout was a result of "an attack on the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant" that took place on Monday night. "Power lines were damaged," the minister said. Rodriguez emphasized that "the country’s authorities are assessing the damage." He did not say how many Venezuelan states had been left without electricity. On Monday, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said that a new power outage had affected 17 of the country’s states. Rodriguez later blamed the government’s opponents for "attacking the national power grid" and announced that power supplies had been restored to almost all of the country. Power outage The Venezuelan capital of Caracas and 20 of the country’s 23 regions were first left without electricity on March 7. The National Electric Company said the blackout had been caused by an accident at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant, which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed on "US imperialism." However, the US Department of State denied any involvement. Venezuela crisis On January 23, Venezuelan parliament speaker Juan Guaido, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. On February 4, most of the European Union member states recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro, while China called for resolving all differences peacefully and warned against foreign interference. The United Nations secretary general, in turn, called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. CARACAS, March 24 -- More than $30 billion disappeared from Venezuela’s foreign accounts in the past two months, according to Venezuelan Minister for Communication and Information Jorge Rodgriguez. "In the past two months, over $30 billion were stolen," he was quoted as saying by Venezuela’s state TV. The official accused Washington of ordering to seize Venezuela’s assets. "Assets, which Venezuela has in various banks, are being withdrawn. This is carried out under direct orders from the US President Donald Trump’s administration," he said. The minister’s statement came shortly after opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country’s acting president in January, said that in an interview to Reuters that "the diplomatic pressure [on the country’s government] has worked, the economic pressure and the pressure on assets have worked." "They [Maduro’s government] are isolated, alone, they are falling apart day by day," he added. Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas on January 23. Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him as president. Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro blasted these actions as an attempted coup and said that he was cutting diplomatic ties with the United States. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro. Earlier on Saturday, the opposition leader said in a Twitter post that he and his supporters would keep protesting until Maduro resigns. CARACAS, March 14 -- Venezuelan Armed Forces will hold drills on protecting strategic facilities after a series of power outages in the country, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Wednesday. "In order to reinforce the victory of our people in the face of aggression against the power lines, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered National Bolivarian Armed Forces to hold drills 'Ana Karina Rote' this Saturday and Sunday to protect the people and strategic facilties," Lopez wrote on his official Twitter account. On March 7, at least 20 out of 23 Venezuelan states were left without electricity. Venezuela's state energy company Corpoelec said that the blackout was caused by an accident at the Simon Bolivar hydroelectric power station. Some experts say the accident was unprecedented in its scale. Venezuelan Minister of Communications and Information Jorge Rodriguez said earlier that power supply has been restored on the whole territory of the country. CARACAS, March 12 -- Venezuela's National Assembly has declared a state of emergency over power outage on most of its territory at the request of opposition leader Juan Guaido. "The state of emergency is declared in all parts of the country because of the catastrophic situation that resulted from interruptions in power supply," AFP quoted the parliament's resolution as saying. Guaido earlier submitted a request to the National Assembly to declare a state of emergency in the country for 30 days over power outages. The draft decree proposed by Guaido also tasks "Venezuela's Armed Forces with mobilizing all resources necessary for adequate protection of facilities and employees of [state energy company] Corpoelec." On March 7, at least 20 out of 23 Venezuelan states were left without electricity. Venezuela's state energy company Corpoelec said that the blackout was caused by an accident at the Simon Bolivar hydroelectric power station. Maduro blamed "US imperialism" for the accident. The US State Department denied any involvement. CARACAS, March 11 --The power supply of the Venezuelan capital Caracas is restoring. After dark it could be seen that a considerable part of the street lighting system had started operating, and there was light in some houses. Caracas residents also reported the renewal of the electric power supply. On Thursday evening, Caracas and most Venezuelan states were left without electricity. These are 20 or 22 out of 23 states, according to the local media. Thus, almost the whole territory of the country had no electricity. It is the longest power outage within the capital residents’ memory. The incident was reportedly caused by a sabotage at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant in Bolivar State, which is the largest in the country. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro blamed the "American imperialism" for the incident. The US Department of State refuted these accusations. On Friday evening the electricity supply improved, but deteriorated again on Saturday afternoon after a report of an explosion at the electric power station located on the outskirts of Ciudad Bolivar, the capital of Venezuela’s southeastern Bolivar State. Venezuela’s government declared Monday, March 11, to be a nonworking day due to the absence of electricity. CARACAS, March 8 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday blamed "American imperialism" for a prolonged power outage which affected most of the South American country. The embattled president blamed the blackout on "the electrical war announced and directed by American imperialism against our people", he said on Twitter. But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied Washington was behind it. "Power shortages and starvation are the result of the Maduro regime's incompetence." State-owned electricity operator Corpoelec blamed the outage on the act of "sabotage" at the Guri Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric stations and the cornerstone of Venezuela's electrical grid. Speaking from the capital Caracas, as the city is being completely in the dark. "The government is saying that the opposition and its leader Juan Guaido are behind this attack, as well as the US," she said, adding that many states remain without electricity. For his part, Guaido, the self-declared interim leader said early on Friday that all but one of Venezuela's 23 states had no electricity and that capital Caracas had been without light for "a record" six hours. "This blackout is evidence of the usurper's inefficiency," Guaido said on Twitter, referring to Maduro. Venezuela's Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez told state broadcaster Telesur that some 10 states had been affected by the blackout, which he called "brutal electrical sabotage", adding that the power was back on in three states and the rest of the country would follow within hours. "What's the intention?" he said. "To submit the Venezuelan people to various days without electricity to attack, to mistreat, so that vital areas would be without power." Rodriguez also accused US Senator Marco Rubio of being involved in the "sabotage", claiming that he "predicted" the power outage before it happened. "My apologies to the people of Venezuela," Rubio responded on Twitter. "I must have pressed the wrong thing on the 'electronic attack' app I downloaded from Apple. My bad." Maduro has presided over a massive economic crisis since he succeeded Hugo Chavez as president in 2013. The prolonged crisis has seen large numbers of people facing food and medicine shortages forcing millions to leave the country. CARACAS, March 3 -- Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has called Venezuela a failed state. "Venezuela today is a completely failed state, and this should not go on like that," Moreno said after a meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in Salinas. Guaido in turn thanked Moreno for assistance in "liberating" the Bolivarian Republic. "I thank [Ecuador's] President Lenin Moreno for supporting our efforts to liberate and restore Venezuela," Guaido wrote on his official Twitter account. He also noted that Ecuadorians and Venezuelans are fraternal peoples. "We will continue expanding cooperation and strengthening our relations," he said. On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 28 the US imposed sancitons on Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA oil company. Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. |
Thank you for choosing to make a difference through your donation. We appreciate your support.
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
|