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Venezuela
Venezuela has indicted Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma for plotting violence against the government – a move strongly condemned by the country’s opposition.
The attorney general’s office said Antonio Ledezma, 59, would remain in a military prison pending his trial.
President Nicolas Maduro earlier accused the opposition mayor of being involved in a US-backed coup.
This comes on the anniversary of the start of protests against Nicolas Maduro’s rule that left dozens of people dead.
On February 20, opponents of President Nicolas Maduro again protested in Caracas against what they described as a crackdown on his political opponents.
The US has also denounced the “systemic intimidation” by the Venezuelan authorities of the country’s opposition.
State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “Venezuela’s problems cannot be solved by criminalizing legitimate, democratic dissent.”
The attorney general’s office said on February 20 that Antonio Ledezma was charged with conspiracy to plot violence against the government.
This came a day after camouflaged police smashed into the mayor’s office in the banking district and carried him away.
President Nicolas Maduro has said the opposition leader must answer “for all the crimes committed against the country’s peace and security”.
Venezuela’s opposition is now demanding the authorities produce any evidence of the alleged conspiracy.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles asked: “Does Maduro think that putting everyone in prison is going to get him 50 popularity points or that he’s going to win elections?”
Antonio Ledezma was on a list of people and foreign powers named by Nicolas Maduro last week as attempting to bring down his administration.
Antonio Ledezma, Caracas mayor since 2008, replied that it was government corruption that was bringing down Venezuela.
Last year, weeks of anti-government protests in Venezuela led to more than 40 deaths.
Venezuela’s economy has been heavily affected by the drop in oil prices and in late January, thousands of people joined an opposition march in Caracas.
Venezuelans voiced dissatisfaction with high inflation, crime and the shortage of many staple goods in the shops.
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Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma has been arrested amid accusations of a coup attempt in Venezuela.
President Nicolas Maduro said the opposition leader must answer “for all the crimes committed against the country’s peace and security”.
Camouflaged police smashed into the mayor’s office and carried him away.
The arrest comes on the anniversary of the start of months of protests against Nicolas Maduro’s rule that left dozens of people dead.
The Human Rights Watch group has called for Antonio Ledezma’s immediate release.
Hundreds of people gathered at the intelligence agency’s HQ in Caracas to protest at the arrest.
Nicolas Maduro said: “Mr. Ledezma, who today by order of the prosecution was captured, must be processed by Venezuelan justice to answer for all the crimes committed against the country’s peace, security, constitution.”
The Caracas mayor was on a list of people and foreign powers named by Nicolas Maduro last week as attempting to bring down his administration.
Antonio Ledezma, Caracas mayor since 2008, replied that it was government corruption that was bringing down Venezuela.
He was taken on February 19 from his office in the banking district.
Opposition legislator Ismael Garcia wrote on Twitter: “I just saw how they took Ledezma out of his office as if he were a dog. They broke down the doors without an arrest warrant.”
A member of Antonio Ledezma’s security detail said about 10 men with guns and a hatchet came for the mayor, bundling him out of the building.
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Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the takeover of private supermarket chain Dia Dia by the state food agency.
During a TV address, Nicolas Maduro accused Dia Dia of hoarding food during huge shortages in the country.
This week, soldiers and government workers were sent to branches of Dia Dia supermarket and Farmatodo pharmacy chain to supervise sales.
Venezuela has been in economic crisis after the drop in oil prices.
Analysts say currency controls that restrict the availability of dollars for imports have played a key role in creating the scarcity of many items.
Directors and executives from both Dia Dia and pharmacy chain Farmatodo were arrested on charges of destabilizing the economy.
President Nicolas Maduro did not say that the takeover of the Dia a Dia chain would be permanent.
He said the chain “was waging war against the population” and the national food distribution agency would take over its running.
Nicolas Maduro has said many businessmen are conducting an “economic war”, colluding with the political opposition to oust his government.
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The US has expanded visa restrictions on unnamed Venezuelan officials it accuses of human rights violations and corruption.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said the measures were an attempt to violate Venezuelan sovereignty.
They build on sanctions imposed last year on officials alleged to have violated the rights of protesters.
The list of officials banned from entering the US has been extended, and now includes family members.
“We are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United States,” said US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Nicolas Maduro reacted angrily and said he would write a letter to President Barack Obama.
“We can’t let an empire that has been eyeing all of us pretend or think it has the right to sanction the country of [Simon] Bolivar,” Nicolas Maduro said, making reference to the Venezuela-born hero of Latin American liberation.
The sanctions imposed in December were aimed at officials accused over their role in suppressing anti-government protests that shook Venezuela in the first six months of 2014.
The new visa restrictions were announced a day after Nicolas Maduro accused Vice-President Joe Biden of plotting a coup against his Socialist government during an energy summit of Caribbean leaders in Washington.
Joe Biden’s office called the allegation “baseless and patently false”.
“President Maduro’s accusations are clearly part of an effort to distract from the concerning situation in Venezuela, which includes repeated violations of freedom of speech, assembly, and due process,” read a statement.
Joe Biden and Nicolas Maduro had shaken hands in Brazil during Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s inauguration ceremony on January 1.
“Vice-President Biden: Look me in the eyes. I saw you in Brazil, I gave you my hand,” said Nicolas Maduro in a televised address on February 1.
“You, who said this is a new era for relations in Latin America, were going to conspire against Venezuela,” he added.
Relations between the US and Venezuela have been tense for many years. They last had ambassadors in each other’s capitals in 2010.
Venezuela has issued new protest rules allowing troops to open fire if they feel their lives are at risk during demonstrations.
The new regulation specifies a scaled approach to maintaining public order, up to and including the use of deadly force.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the changes were made in response to three months of violent protests last year.
Citizen rights groups in Venezuela say the new rules are “dangerously vague”.
Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the aim was to establish a protocol to help train and improve troops’ responses to public protests.
However, the minister said the rules had been written as “a profound response to human rights, to life and to protesters”.
The Venezuelan ombudsman, Tarek Williams Saab, said the regulations were “very clear on the progressive and differentiated use of force” and the aim was “to protect human rights and rights in demonstrations”.
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He was responding to a series of criticisms from civic groups.
Marcela Maspero of the National Workers Union called the plans “a direct threat to the working class.
“It is the workers who have been the main participants in the social protests in the country in the last few years.”
She said the country was going through hard economic times, and there had been protests about the serious problems in the food supply chain and increases in the price of petrol.
Marcela Maspero felt the government was publishing these rules as “a warning” to the workers.
Civil rights groups pointed out that the ruling was unconstitutional because the Constitution expressly forbids the use of firearms to control peaceful demonstrations.
Rocio San Miguel, who works for the NGO Control Ciudadano (Citizen Control) was quoted by the French news agency AFP as saying it was right to regulate how soldiers behaved but the new regulations were “dangerously vague and controversial”.
The rules were published a few days before the anniversary of the start of three months of anti-government protests last year in several cities in which at least 40 people died, including police and protestors.
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Venezuela’s leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is to be investigated over an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
Maria Corina Machado, a former congresswoman, led a major street protest against President Nicolas Maduro’s government in January.
She dismissed the accusations as a charade designed to silence her.
The alleged plot came in a series of emails which Maria Corina Machado says are fake.
She said the charges were designed to distract Venezuelans from a growing economic crisis.
Officials produced the emails in the midst of months of street protests.
They said they contained conversations between Maria Machado and US State Department officials discussing a plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
Maria Machado said the messages used her old email accounts and had been manipulated and were fabricated.
She said on her social media account that the conspiracy charges were in retribution for demanding a new leadership at the state elections council.
Maria Machado had helped lead demonstrations which had initially been started in January in the western state of Tachira by university students.
They were protesting against the high rate of crime on campuses and the country’s struggling economy.
She was expelled from the National Assembly in March after she backed the protests which had spread across the country.
The President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello said Maria Machado had been expelled because she had incited violent protests in which over forty protesters and police officers died.
Before her court appearance, she said: “Our protest movement has always been peaceful in its essence. Violence is what the regime does to frighten people and de-motivate citizen protest.”
She said she would continue to support all types of protests in the country against what she described as “daily abuses committed by the government”.
Since narrowly winning an election last year to succeed his mentor, the late President Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro has said there have been five assassination attempts against him and more than a dozen acts of sabotage and conspiracy.
Conspiracy carries a prison sentence of between eight and 16 years in Venezuela.
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An international arbitration tribunal has decided that Venezuela must pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion in compensation for expropriated assets.
Exxon had claimed up to $16.6 billion over the nationalization of its Cerro Negro Project and other losses in 2007.
Venezuela has not said whether it will appeal. But the foreign minister said the decision was “reasonable”.
The ruling was made by the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
It is a blow to Venezuela which is struggling with a shortage of foreign currency, inflation and a stagnating economy.
Venezuela must pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion in compensation for expropriated assets
Foreign minister Rafael Ramirez called it a victory for Venezuelan sovereignty over “exaggerated claims”, referring to the much higher amount indicated by the Exxon Mobil.
The Venezuelan government is currently battling more than 20 similar demands at the World Bank by other foreign companies over the state’s takeover of private assets under its former president, Hugo Chavez.
Exxon Mobil said in a statement: “The decision confirms that the Venezuelan government failed to provide fair compensation for expropriated assets.”
The company added that it “accepts Venezuela’s legal right to expropriate the assets of our affiliates subject to compensation at fair market value”.
A previous decision in 2012 ruled that PDVSA, the state oil company, should pay Exxon $908 million.
Venezuela has since paid a portion of that award, which will be taken into account in calculating the balance that Venezuela owes.
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Three men have been sentenced to many years in jail for the killing of Venezuelan beauty queen Monica Spear in January 2014.
The three had pleaded guilty.
Monica Spear, 29, and her British partner, Thomas Berry, were shot dead in front of their five-year-old daughter during a roadside robbery.
According to UN figures, Venezuela has the second-highest peacetime murder rate in the world, but the brutality of the crime shocked the country.
Prosecutors said the three men were part of a larger gang which targeted motorists along a highway leading from Valencia to Puerto Cabello.
The court said seven other people were still on trial for the crime but had denied the charges.
The murder of Monica Spear, who was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, prompted demonstrations against Venezuela’s high crime rate
The sentences for the three men range between 24 and 26 years in jail.
The family, who lived in the US, was on a visit to Monica Spear’s home country when they were targeted.
They were travelling at night from the city of Merida to the capital, Caracas, when their car hit a sharp object, puncturing two tyres.
While they waited for breakdown assistance, they were ambushed by the armed gang.
When the couple and their daughter hid inside the car, they were shot at by the robbers.
Monica Spear and Thomas Berry died instantly. Their daughter, Maya, was shot in the leg.
The murder of the popular beauty queen, who was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, prompted demonstrations against the country’s high crime rate.
President Nicolas Maduro promised to respond with “an iron fist” and said he would make tackling crime one of the government’s top priorities.
Last week, Nicolas Maduro announced his government would invest $47 million to further expand a plan to disarm civilians.
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A mandatory fingerprinting system will placed in Venezuela’s supermarkets to combat food shortages and smuggling, President Nicolas Maduro has announced.
Nicolas Maduro said the system would stop people from buying too much of a single item.
However, the opposition in Venezuela rejected the plan, saying the policy treated all Venezuelans as thieves.
Critics said fingerprinting consumers of staple products was tantamount to rationing and constituted a breach of privacy.
Up to 40% of the goods which Venezuela subsidizes for its domestic market are smuggled to Colombia, where they are sold at much higher prices, the authorities say.
A mandatory fingerprinting system will placed in Venezuela’s supermarkets to combat food shortages and smuggling
“The amount of staples smuggled to Colombia would be enough to load the shelves of our supermarkets,” Gen. Efrain Velasco Lugo, a military spokesman, told El Universal newspaper earlier this week.
The opposition blames what it says are the failed left-wing policies of the past 15 years – initiated by late President Hugo Chavez – for the country’s economic crisis.
Dissatisfaction with the shortage of many staples, as well as rampant crime and high inflation, led thousands of people in the western Venezuelan states of Tachira and Merida to take to the streets in January.
The protests quickly spread to the rest of Venezuela, which faces similar problems.
Earlier this month Venezuela launched an anti-smuggling operation on its border with Colombia.
It deployed 17,000 troops along the border and began closing all the crossings at night.
The one-month ban will be lifted in mid-September.
The decision to close the border was agreed with Colombia, where the smuggling of cheap goods from Venezuela is also seen as a major problem.
The Colombian government says it leads to a big loss in taxes, with complaints of unfair competition faced by local businesses.
The US government is imposing travel restrictions on a number of Venezuelan officials.
Officials did not specify how many people would be affected, but said those “who have been responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses” would not be “welcome” in the US.
The Venezuelan opposition has been lobbying for sanctions since thousands of protesters were detained during anti-government protests.
At least 43 people were killed in the protests.
The victims were from both sides of the political divide.
The US government is imposing travel restrictions on a number of Venezuelan officials
Relations between the US and Venezuela took a turn for the worse on Sunday when the former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, Gen Hugo Carvajal, was released from custody in the Caribbean and given a hero’s welcome in Caracas.
Gen. Hugo Carvajal had been detained on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba over US accusations of drug-trafficking activities.
The US Treasury said he had been protecting drug shipments by Colombian FARC rebels.
He was released after Venezuela claimed he had diplomatic immunity because he had been appointed as Venezuela’s consul in Aruba.
The US said his release was “deeply disappointing” and accused Venezuela of threatening Aruba and the Netherlands into freeing Gen Carvajal.
In a statement released on Wednesday, US state department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the travel restrictions were in response to “arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force” by Venezuelan officials as they tried to contain growing anti-government protest.
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in February and March in protest at skyrocketing inflation, high crime rates and shortages of some basic staples.
Key opposition figures behind the protests were arrested and have been charged with inciting violence.
Thousands of protesters were detained, many of them have since been released but there have been allegations they were intimidated, beaten and even tortured.
The Venezuelan government says it is investigating dozens of members of the security forces in connection with the allegations.
The demonstrations have since become smaller and less frequent but tensions in the deeply divided country remain high.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has accused the opposition of trying to launch a coup against his government at the behest of “the imperialist US force”.
Venezuela’s key party – United Socialist Party (PSUV) – has begun its first congress since President Hugo Chavez died in March 2013.
Party leaders have urged delegates to consider proposals that will help consolidate the program of social reforms initiated by Hugo Chavez in 1999.
The conference, which ends on July 31, goes ahead after months of anti-government protests across the country.
The opposition blames the economic crisis on failed left-wing policies.
The government says the protests are part of a right-wing plot.
Venezuela’s PSUV is holding its first congress since Hugo Chavez died
“Neo-fascists are trying to take over power in Venezuela, Ukraine, Syria, Libya and Palestine. But they won’t succeed,” President Nicolas Maduro said earlier this week.
Nicolas Maduro was elected by a narrow margin to succeed Hugo Chavez in April last year.
Since then, Venezuela has become more politically polarized and the economic crisis has deepened.
The 537 delegates gathered in Caracas have been encouraged to be inspired by the left-wing ideas and determination of Hugo Chavez.
The head of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said the Third Congress of the PSUV will consolidate the party.
The PSUV was founded in 2008, amalgamating some 10 left-wing parties that supported Hugo Chavez.
“This is a revolutionary country. The right thinks they will return to power in this country. No! They won’t come back,” said Diosdado Cabello, who’s also the party’s first vice-president.
Earlier this week, the trial of Leopoldo Lopez, one of Venezuela’s main opposition leaders, began in Caracas.
He has been in custody since February, accused of inciting violence at an anti-government protest.
Leopoldo Lopez accused Nicolas Maduro’s government of “jailing Venezuelans for seeking democratic change”.
Henri Matisse’s painting Odalisque in Red Pants, which was stolen more than a decade ago, has been handed back to the Venezuelan authorities by US officials.
Odalisque in Red Pants was recovered in Miami Beach in an undercover operation two years ago.
An American and a Mexican citizen were both arrested and convicted of theft.
The painting, which used to be on display in a museum in Caracas, was replaced by a fake but the switch took years to discover.
Odalisque in Red Pants was recovered in Miami Beach in an undercover operation two years ago (photo AP)
It was exchanged for a bad copy sometime between 1999 and 2002 but it was not until 2003 that officials at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas realized what had happened.
The original was found by US undercover agents in a hotel room in Miami.
“The work is in extraordinary condition, with only slight imperfections on the edges, but it is fine,” said Joel Espinoza, an official with Venezuela’s attorney general’s office.
Odalisque in Red Pants was flown back and arrived in Venezuela on Monday where it will go on public display in two weeks time.
Painted in 1925, Odalisque in Red Pants has been valued at more than $3 million.
Odalisque in Red Pants was bought by the Venezuelan government from a gallery in New York in 1981.
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American Airlines has announced it is cutting almost 80% of its flights to Venezuela from next month.
From July 2, American Airlines will operate only 10 flights per week instead of the current 48.
The move comes as part of a continuing dispute over the repatriation of revenue due to tight currency controls in the oil-rich country.
A number of airlines have already suspended or reduced the number of flights to Venezuela.
“Since we are owed a substantial outstanding amount [$750 million to March 2014] and have been unable to reach resolution on the debt, we will significantly reduce our flights to the country after 1 July,” the airline said in a statement.
American Airlines is cutting almost 80 percent of its flights to Venezuela
American Airlines said it would only fly to Venezuela from Miami, suspending its flights from New York, Dallas and Puerto Rico.
Tight foreign currency controls make it difficult for foreign airlines to repatriate money from ticket sales in Venezuela.
The authorities have restricted access to dollars and want to make them more expensive to purchase, which may lead to losses for companies that are still waiting for cash from as far back as 2012.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates Venezuela is delaying payment of $4 billion.
American Airlines is the largest foreign carrier serving Venezuela.
Air Canada has suspended service citing security concerns, while others like Lufthansa and Copa Airlines have reduced the number of tickets made available in local currency.
In January, Ecuadorean airline Tame also suspended flights to Venezuela, demanding $43 million in overdue payments for tickets.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said at the time that airlines that reduced their operations in Venezuela would face “severe measures”.
“The company that leaves the country will not return while we hold power,” he said.
Last month, the Venezuelan government announced a deal with six Latin American airlines that would allow them to repatriate revenue from sales in 2012 and 2013.
Strict controls over foreign exchange were first imposed in 2003, following a troubled year which saw a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has announced that three air force generals have been arrested for plotting an uprising against his government.
Nicolas Maduro said that the authorities had been tipped off by “young officers”.
The three generals, who have not been named, had links with the opposition, said Nicolas Maduro.
The arrests are the latest development in nearly two months of political unrest, which have cost the lives of at least 32 people.
Nicolas Maduro has announced that three air force generals have been arrested for plotting an uprising against his government (photo AFP)
Nicolas Maduro’s comments were made during a meeting with a delegation of foreign ministers of the UNASUR regional bloc, which was sent to Venezuela to assess the political crisis.
“The generals who have been detained have direct links with opposition sectors and were saying that this week was going to be decisive,” said Nicolas Maduro.
They were planning to create “chaos in the public services, power cuts across Venezuela,” he added.
He said the authorities had been alerted by “alarmed younger officers, generals, lieutenant colonels” who had been invited to join the coup. The generals were arrested on Monday night.
Nicolas Maduro has previously accused right-wing sectors backed by the US of stirring up trouble as part of a plot to oust him.
The opposition has accused the government of heavy-handedness in their response to the street protests, which began in the first week of February.
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Venezuela has stripped leading opposition congresswoman Maria Corina Machado of her mandate after she spoke before the Organization of American States (OAS) last week.
Maria Corina Machado had been invited by Panama to give her account of the recent wave of unrest in Venezuela.
But Venezuela’s authorities say Maria Corina Machado “acted as a Panamanian official” by accepting the invitation.
The decision means Maria Corina Machado will lose her parliamentary immunity and could be prosecuted for “inciting violence”.
More than 30 people have died since mid-February in demonstrations against high inflation, food shortages and violence levels.
Venezuela’s National Assembly’s president, Diosdado Cabello, said Maria Corina Machado had contravened the constitution.
Venezuela has stripped Maria Corina Machado of her Congress mandate after she spoke before the OAS
Diosdado Cabello also said Maria Corina Machado was introduced at the OAS meeting in Washington DC as an “alternate ambassador” to Panama.
“Maybe the Panamanian government will now name her permanent ambassador,” he added.
Arriving in Peru’s capital, Lima, for a seminar at an institution presided by the 2010 Nobel Prize winning author Mario Vargas Llosa, Maria Corina Machado accused Diosdado Cabello of running a “dictatorship in the National Assembly”.
Maria Corina Machado wrote later on Twitter: “Mr. Cabello: I am a Congresswoman at the National Assembly so long as the people of Venezuela want it.”
She also said she was prepared to deal with the consequences of her actions.
“If the price that I must pay for having gone to the OAS so that the voice of the Venezuelan people could be heard is that I’m being persecuted today, in what they’re doing to me now, I will pay for it one and a million times.”
On Saturday, President Nicolas Maduro had already referred to Maria Corina Machado as “former congresswoman”.
Maria Corina Machado has been openly demanding the resignation of Nicolas Maduro since the start of the recent protests.
Venezuela’s government accuses “right-wing fascists” of inciting the unrest as part of a plot to overthrow the government.
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Air Canada has decided to suspend flights to and from Venezuela, citing concerns over security.
Air Canada said it would consider resuming operations once the situation in Venezuela had stabilized.
The airline operated three return flights between Toronto and Caracas per week.
Twenty-nine people – from both sides of the political divide – have been killed in six weeks of protests against high inflation, crime and the shortage of many staples in Venezuela.
“Due to ongoing civil unrest in Venezuela, Air Canada can no longer ensure the safety of its operation and has suspended flights to Caracas until further notice,” says the Canadian airline in a statement.
It says customers who have not begun their travel “may obtain refunds”. Others may be rebooked on other airlines.
Air Canada has decided to suspend flights to and from Venezuela
Several international airlines have reduced operations in recent weeks in Venezuela, but their main grievance has been the government’s tight currency controls.
International airlines say the government of Nicolas Maduro owes them more than $3 billion.
Tough foreign currency controls make it difficult for foreign airlines to repatriate money obtained from ticket sales in Venezuela.
In January, Ecuadorean airline Tame suspended flights to Venezuela, demanding $43 million – one third of the company’s yearly revenue – in overdue payments for tickets.
President Nicolas Maduro said that airlines that reduced their operations in Venezuela would face “severe measures”.
“The company that leaves the country will not return while we hold power,” he said.
The government says right-wing groups backed by the US have fomented the unrest as part of a coup plot.
Tight controls over foreign exchange were first imposed in 2003, following a troubled year which saw a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez.
The government expected to avoid capital flight, but the economic crisis of the past year has led to a shortage of foreign currency.
Two months ago, Venezuela introduced further exchange controls.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has urged the US to discuss “peace and sovereignty” in a high level commission mediated by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
Nicolas Maduro also asked President Barack Obama not to heed US factions that he says want to kill him.
Venezuela blames the US for the anti-government protests that have left 28 people dead in the past month.
The US says Venezuela is using it as a scapegoat for its internal problems.
Earlier, thousands of government supporters marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to thank the country’s security forces for their policing of the recent unrest.
Nicolas Maduro and several military leaders held speeches praising the “civic-military” partnership.
The president also proposed the creation of a “high-level commission” to discuss “peace and respect to the sovereignty” in Venezuela.
Nicolas Maduro has urged the US to discuss peace and sovereignty in a high level commission mediated by the UNASUR
Nicolas Maduro said he wanted the head of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, to negotiate with a “high-level officer” of the US administration under the auspices of UNASUR.
“President Obama: give peace, and respect, a chance and let’s set the foundation for a new type of relations between the US, Venezuela and if possible, Latin America and the Caribbean,” Nicolas Maduro told the crowd in a speech broadcast on radio and TV.
He also warned Barack Obama against agreeing to alleged plans to kill him, put forward by “extremists” in the US administration.
“It would be the worst mistake in your life to authorize the assassination of President Nicolas Maduro and fill [Venezuela] with violence,” he told the crowd, adding he was a “humble president and bus driver” who like Barack Obama also had “African grandparents”.
Venezuela’s opposition has called for further protests on Sunday against “Cuban repression” in the country and criticized the government’s march.
“We know soldiers and officials are against this act ordered by Cuba,” Maria Corina Machado, an opposition leader, wrote on Twitter.
The opposition says it will continue to protest against Venezuela’s high inflation, food shortages and violence levels until there is a change of government.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry has been accused by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Elias Jaua of inciting violence and “murder”.
Elias Jaua was reacting to comments by John Kerry, who accused Venezuela of waging a “terror campaign against its own people” in its response to protests.
Venezuela has repeatedly accused the US of orchestrating the unrest, which already left 28 people dead.
The US argues Venezuela is using it as a scapegoat for its domestic problems.
On national television, Elias Jaua said he was not going to “tone down” his rhetoric following John Kerry’s strong words on Thursday.
“Mr. Kerry, we denounce you before the world. You are inciting violence in Venezuela, and we will denounce it in every part of the world. We denounce you as a murderer of the Venezuelan people,” Elias Jaua said in Caracas.
“Every time we’re about to isolate and reduce the violence, out comes Mr. Kerry with a speech and immediately road blocks are reactivated in the mains spots of violence,” he added.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Elias Jaua has accused John Kerry of inciting violence and called him a murderer
While US State Departments’ spokeswoman Marie Harf declined to comment on Elias Jaua’s comments, she said the Venezuelan government was “not telling the truth” about the protests.
On Thursday, John Kerry also said the Organization of American States (OAS), allies and neighbors should demand accountability of Venezuela over the protests.
“We are trying to find a way to get the [President Nicolas] Maduro government to end this terror campaign against his own people and to begin to, hopefully, respect human rights in an appropriate way,” John Kerry told a committee in the US Congress.
American legislators say they are ready to impose sanctions on the oil-rich nation, although no decision has yet been taken on the matter.
President Nicolas Maduro, however, offered his American counterpart, Barack Obama, some advice on Friday.
“Let’s hope that with two remaining years left [in his presidency], Mr. Obama doesn’t pass into history as the man who attacked Venezuela and filled it with violence,” he told foreign reporters in the presidential palace in Caracas.
Nicolas Maduro also said the destabilization of Venezuela would have “unbearable consequences” for the US, bringing about “political instability in Latin America” and thousands of people to seek refuge in the richer neighboring nation.
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The government of Venezuela must end its “terror campaign against its own citizens”, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.
John Kerry said the Organization of American States (OAS), allies and neighbors should demand accountability of Venezuela over the protests.
Authorities say 28 people have died since they began more than a month ago.
Venezuela accuses the US of helping “right-wing fascists” to plot a coup with the unrest.
John Kerry’s remarks are the starkest from Washington since the protests began.
“We are trying to find a way to get the [President Nicolas] Maduro government to engage with their citizens, to treat them respectfully, to end this terror campaign against his own people and to begin to, hopefully, respect human rights in an appropriate way,” John Kerry told a committee in the US Congress.
John Kerry said the OAS, allies and neighbors should demand accountability of Venezuela over the protests
American legislators have been debating whether or not to impose sanctions on Venezuela.
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro said his week that his government had “neutralized” a “right-wing coup”.
Nicolas Maduro blamed groups in the US, Venezuela and other Latin American countries for the alleged plan.
The Venezuelan government has already expelled the Panamanian ambassador and three other diplomats.
Last month, three US diplomats were also declared “persona non-grata”, following accusations of conspiring with protesting students.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said on Thursday that 28 people had died in the protests.
Also on Thursday, renewed clashes between protesters and security forces took place in Caracas, where government supporters also marched.
The protests started in the western states of Merida and Tachira at the beginning of February by disgruntled students, who demanded more security in the region.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested.
Less than two weeks later, three people were shot dead in Caracas on the fringes of a protest demanding students and other activists be freed.
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Students and opposition supporters have joined an anti-Nicolas Maduro rally in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
The government deployed hundreds of government security forces to prevent a crowd banging pots and pans from marching towards the food ministry.
There were similar marches in at least five other Venezuelan cities.
In eastern Caracas, police fired tear gas against protesters trying to erect barricades in the streets.
For a month, demonstrators have been complaining about the high levels of violence and shortages of food staples like bread, sugar, milk and butter.
The authorities say 21 people have been killed in the weeks of unrest.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles told the crowd in Caracas that detained students and others must be released before any talks with the government.
The opposition criticized the heavy security operation put in place by the government to prevent the march from reaching the food ministry.
The government said it wanted to contain the march because it “had not been authorized”.
Venezuela demonstrators complaining about the high levels of violence and shortages of food staples
In the eastern Caracas district of Altamira, National Guardsmen clashed with protesters who were setting up a street block.
At least two people have been injured, according to local newspapers.
Peaceful protests have been reported in the cities of Maracaibo, Isla de Margarita, Puerto Ordaz, Valencia and San Cristóbal .
President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly invited all parties to take part in a “dialogue for peace”.
But during Saturday’s rally, leaders demanded the release of detained students and the suspension of the “repression of the people” before any participation.
Henrique Capriles spoke to thousands of women, students and opposition supporters at the “March of the Empty Pot”, that coincided with the International Women’s Day.
“Let’s transform this protest into the greatest social movement in this country’s history,” Henrique Capriles told the crowd, many banging empty pots as a symbol of the food shortages.
Most of the people supporting opposition protests are reportedly disgruntled Venezuelans from the middle and upper classes.
The opposition leader also repeatedly asked the crowd to refrain from violent acts.
Since February 12, at least 21 people have died in protests, Venezuela’s ombudswoman, Gabriela Ramirez, confirmed on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Caracas, Gabriela Ramirez said that members of the security forces were suspects in four cases, 10 allegedly died at street barricades and another five in violent episodes near roadblocks.
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Venezuela has given 48 hours to leave the country to Panama’s ambassador and three other diplomats amid growing tensions over opposition protests.
The move comes a day after President Nicolas Maduro broke diplomatic relations and froze economic ties with Panama.
At least 20 people have died in anti-government protests in Venezuela in the last month.
Nicolas Maduro has accused Panama of conspiring to bring down his government.
The latest fallout comes after Panama requested a meeting at the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss Venezuela’s crisis.
Four diplomats working at Panama’s embassy, including ambassador Pedro Pereira, were declared “persona non grata” on Thursday, according to Panama’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mayra Arosemena.
Nicolas Maduro has accused Panama of conspiring to bring down his government
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said his country also had suspended debt negotiations over $1 billion owed to Panamanian exporters, according to reports.
Meanwhile a member of Venezuela’s National Guard and a motorcyclist became the latest victims of the unrest in the country on Thursday.
The pair were shot dead during clashes that broke out when a group of men of motorcycles tried to clear opposition barricades in a street in Caracas.
The opposition accuses the government of using armed civilian groups on motorcycles to break up demonstrations.
Thousands of government supporters and troops took part in a huge parade through the centre of the capital, commemorating the first anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez’s death on March 5.
Panama said it was “astonished” by Venezuela’s decision to break diplomatic relations and called Nicolas Maduro’s words “unacceptable”.
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Venezuela has broken diplomatic relations and frozen economic ties with Panama, President Nicolas Maduro announced during Hugo Chavez’s first commemoration.
Nicolas Maduro’ decision comes after Panama requested a meeting at the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss Venezuela’s crisis.
The president was speaking to other Latin American heads of state at events to mark the first anniversary of the death of the Venezualan leader Hugo Chavez.
At least 18 people have died in anti-government protests in the last month.
“I’ve decided to break political and diplomatic ties with the current government of Panama and freeze all trade and economic relations from this moment on,” Nicolas Maduro told the presidents of Cuba, Raul Castro, Uruguay, Jose Mujica, and Bolivia, Evo Morales, among other leaders gathered around the tomb of Hugo Chavez.
Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli expressed surprise at Venezuela’s decision.
“Panama only hopes that this brother nation finds peace and strengthens its democracy,” Ricardo Martinelli wrote on Twitter.
Nicolas Maduro announced that Venezuela has broken diplomatic relations and frozen economic ties with Panama
Panama’s official statement said the country was “astonished” and called Nicolas Maduro’s words “unacceptable”.
“The measure announced by President Maduro should not become a smoke screen intended to hide reality,” it read.
Earlier, thousands of government supporters and troops took part in a huge parade through central Caracas, commemorating the first anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez’s death.
In other parts of Caracas, anti-government protesters kept up their barricades, despite an appeal made by opposition leaders to “respect” the anniversary.
Last week, the government of Panama requested an urgent meeting of OAS member-states to discuss the unrest in Venezuela.
On Wednesday, the OAS said a meeting would take place the next day behind closed doors to decide whether or not to convene the region’s foreign ministers over the issue.
Nicolas Maduro accused the Panamanian government of conspiring to bring down his government.
“There are moves by the United States government in accord with a lackey government of a right-wing president which has been creating the conditions for the OAS and other bodies to step towards an intervention in our country,” Nicolas Maduro said.
Nicolas Maduro also criticized OAS President Jose Miguel Insulza, who had suggested earlier that a group of observers could be sent to Venezuela – if its government and the opposition found it useful.
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The first anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s death is being marked in Venezuela.
Hugo Chavez died of cancer after 14 years as president.
His successor, Nicolas Maduro, is leading a parade and a ceremony later at the military headquarters in Caracas where Hugo Chavez is buried.
The anniversary comes at a time of tension, with people staging daily anti-government demonstrations.
Venezuelans are deeply divided about Hugo Chavez’s legacy.
His supporters point to the significant reductions in inequality, poverty and malnutrition which Venezuela experienced under his leadership to explain their unwavering backing for “Chavismo”, his distinct brand of socialism.
The first anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s death is being marked in Venezuela
Hugo Chavez’s critics accused him of being “dictatorial” and of championing the poor at the expense of Venezuela’s middle class.
They say he and current President Nicolas Maduro, who has promised to continue the policies of his predecessor, have ruined the economy of the oil-rich country by alienating foreign investors.
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in marches over the past month demanding that more be done to curb insecurity and improve the economy.
Venezuela has one of the world’s highest murder rates and official figures published in December put inflation at 56.2%.
There have also been pro-government marches, during which thousands of people have expressed their support for Nicolas Maduro, whom they describe as Hugo Chavez’s “son” and “heir”.
Wednesday’s ceremonies will be attended by left-wing leaders from the region, including Cuba’s Raul Castro, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.
Opposition leaders have asked their supporters to “respect” the anniversary and to avoid further clashes with security forces, although a march has been scheduled to take place in the central city of Valencia.
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Venezuela’s police and National Guard have used tear gas to break up a student demonstration in the capital, Caracas.
Hundreds of protesters were demanding the release of fellow students detained during two weeks of unrest, and called a fresh march for Sunday.
In another part of Caracas, a large pro-government march was held.
Earlier this week, President Nicolas Maduro declared an early start to the week-long Carnival public holiday in an attempt to end the unrest.
On Monday, Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega said 13 people had died in the violence, although President Nicolas Maduro put the figure of protest-related deaths at more than 50 on Wednesday.
Despite the start of the long holidays on Thursday, students again gathered in Caracas.
“There’s no Carnival for anybody here. Here we are still on the streets, committed to the fight,” student leader Juan Requesens told EFE news agency.
Their peaceful demonstration ended in clashes with security forces when some masked protesters tried to block a road.
Police and the National Guard used tear gas to break up the protest, while demonstrators hurled stones at them.
Venezuela’s police and National Guard have used tear gas to break up a student demonstration in Caracas
Juan Requesens said there would be a “big march” on Sunday.
At the presidential palace in Caracas, hundreds of Nicolas Maduro’s supporters took part in a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Caracazo, the violent protests against economic measures imposed in 1989 by the government.
There were no reports of other large protests in other parts of Venezuela on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua, who is in Uruguay as part of a regional tour, said he believed the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) would be a better forum to discuss the current political crisis in Venezuela.
Panama had suggested the Organizations of American States (OAS) should discuss the issue, but Venezuela requested the motion to be cancelled.
“UNASUR has been much more efficient on these issues than the OAS. How many coups has the OAS stopped in its existence? On the contrary, it has legitimized many,” Elias Jaua told reporters.
On Wednesday, Nicolas Maduro held a “national peace conference” without the participation of the opposition.
The Roman Catholic church and a major business federation took part in the meeting.
The current unrest started more than two weeks ago with student protests in the western states of Tachira and Merida demanding increased security. They also complained about record inflation and shortages of staple items.
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Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has invited President Barack Obama to join him in talks aimed at resolving the problems between his country and the US.
Nicolas Maduro said the meeting would help “put the truth out on the table”.
He has accused US conservatives and media organizations of plotting to overthrow his government.
Earlier on Friday Venezuela revoked the accreditations of CNN reporters covering the country’s crisis. Eight people have died in recent protests.
In a news conference on Friday, Nicolas Maduro said: “I call for a dialogue between Venezuela and the United States and its government.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has invited President Barack Obama to join him in talks aimed at resolving the problems between his country and the US
“Let’s initiate a high-level dialogue and let’s put the truth out on the table.”
The dialogue will be “difficult and complex”, Nicolas Maduro said, until the American government accepted “the full autonomy and independence of Latin America”.
Last week, Venezuela expelled three US diplomats accused of meeting violent groups linked to the opposition.
Earlier this week, Venezuela had revoked the accreditation of CNN’s Caracas-based reporter, Osmary Hernandez, and those of two other CNN journalists sent to Venezuela to cover a wave of opposition marches.
The government says the protests are part of a coup attempt.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, denounced the latest action on Friday, saying: “This is not how democracies behave.
“I call on the Venezuelan government to step back from its efforts to stifle dissent through force and respect basic human rights.
“The solution to Venezuela’s problems can only be found through dialogue with all Venezuelans, engaging in a free exchange of opinions in a climate of mutual respect.”
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