MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Maduro retaliates and will demand visas from US citizens travelling to Venezuela
The Venezuelan president had to remain in his country despite his announced Sunday trip to Uruguay for the change of government ceremony President Nicolas Maduro said his government had captured American citizens involved in “espionage activities,” and said US citizens in the future will have to seek visas to come to Venezuela. Speaking during a rally, he said his government will prohibit some US officials from entering Venezuela in retaliation for a similar measure by the government of President Barack Obama against a group of Venezuelan public officials.
“We have captured some US citizens in undercover activities, espionage, trying to win over people in towns along the Venezuelan coast,” he said, adding a US citizen of Latin descent was captured in the convulsed border city of Tachira.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Caracas said he was unable to comment, citing a lack of any official diplomatic communication with the Venezuelan government.
The head of a Venezuelan evangelical organization on Friday said a group of four missionaries had been called in for questioning after participating in a medical assistance campaign in the coastal town of Ocumare de la Costa.
That pastor, Abdy Pereira, on Saturday said in a telephone interview that the four had left the country for Aruba after having been questioned for several days about alleged involvement in espionage. Pereira said the group had been coming to Venezuela 14 years and denied they were involved in espionage.
The United States and Venezuela have had tense diplomatic relations for more than a decade. Maduro recently accused Washington of helping stage a coup, a charge dismissed by the White House as ludicrous.
The delicate political situation in Venezuela impeded Maduro from flying to Uruguay for the Sunday taking office ceremony of elected president Tabare Vazquez. Maduro was particularly interested in congratulating outgoing president Jose Mujica who stepped down after five years.
Meanwhile in the Vatican Pope Francis called on Sunday for an end to political violence in Venezuela and said he would pray for a teenager killed during an anti-government demonstration last week.
Protests against the government of President Maduro turned violent in the city of San Cristobal where 14-year-old Kluibert Roa was shot dead. A 23-year-old policeman has been detained and charged over the killing.
In his weekly Angelus address in Saint Peter's Square, Francis, the first Latin American pope called on all sides to renounce violence and to begin talking.
“I would like to recall Venezuelans, which is once again experiencing new moments of acute tension ... I pray for the victims and in particular for the boy killed a few days ago in San Cristobal,” said Francis.
“I call on everyone to reject violence and urge respect for the dignity of all persons and for the sacredness of human life and I encourage a return to a common movement for the good of the country with the opening up of areas for sincere and constructive meeting and dialogue,” he added.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsMore Circus, even less bread.
Mar 02nd, 2015 - 01:43 am 0Let's look at some Facts, rather than these fantasy claims of a 'coup'.
Four US missionaries where conveniently arrested and interrogated over several days.
Then released, who, quite rightly, then fled then country.
Does anyone think if this was genuine, Maburro would have kept them and prosecuted them?
Maburro first said a Tucano Jet, (or two), was to bomb and strafe 20 locations in Caracas as part of the 'Air-Force General's' plot. From Miami!!
Then when this was disproved, he said it was internal.
It soon became apparent that all 12 of the Venezuelan Tucanos are grounded and in need of repair. Repairs that are delayed due to lack of spare parts due to the dollar-exchange crisis.
Maburro quickly found a Tucano in Colombia registered to a US pilot. Thus he had further proof. (!?!)
oops! This is a non-weaponised TURBO-PROP trainer aircraft! What would the pilot do? Toss hand-grenades from the cockpit over Caracas?
Three more points:
1) Even if armed, it can only carry 2 bombs or 4 missiles.
2) It does not have the range to fly from Colombia, target 20 locations and return
3) It would need to do this whilst being harrassed by upto 20 Sukhov JET fighters.
This is the 18th 'coup-attempt' claimed by Maburro in the past year.
No proof has ever been given, no-one has been prosecuted. Yet many are imprisoned.
You decide. Bullshit, or no?
Of course it's bullshit. These people attempting 'coups' must be really hopeless. 18 tries and they haven't got him yet? It only takes one bullet. Perhaps Venezuelans are so weak from hunger that they can't shoot straight.
Mar 02nd, 2015 - 02:30 pm 0MADurine's 'coups' seem to have given Kirchner ideas. Remember that Nisman's death was first supposed to be suicide. Then it was a Washington-backed coup. Then it was an undermining effort by SIDE. Personally, I reckon it was the Klingons. Must really get you going when you're short on toilet roll!
Such a self-destructive, chubby child.
Mar 02nd, 2015 - 06:36 pm 0The unintended consequences of such rash behavior in staff limitations will include the reduction of employees at the American Embassy required to process visa applications for Venezuelans.
Another is to indirectly canonize the various American legislators blacklisted by “ El Supremo Maduro ” as heroes, while he continues to stifle any popular dissent by the continued use of brute force by his Cuban-led security forces.
The man is a complete lackey.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!