MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Venezuelan regime of Maduro expels German ambassador
Kriener, along with ambassadors and diplomats from other EU embassies had gone to the airport to support Guaido, who had risked arrest on his return to Venezuela Venezuela's government expelled the German ambassador on Wednesday as embattled President Nicolas Maduro cracks down on a challenge to his rule. Ambassador Daniel Kriener was expelled two days after he and diplomats from other embassies welcomed home opposition leader Juan Guaido at the Caracas airport.
The government declared Kriener persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country, accusing him of meddling in internal affairs, although it did not give specific details.
“Venezuela considers it unacceptable that a foreign diplomat carries out in its territory a public role closer to that of a political leader aligned with the conspiratorial agenda of extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition,” the government said in a statement.
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman confirmed Venezuela had expelled the ambassador and that the ministry was consulting with its allies on how to respond.
Most Western countries, including Germany, recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate head of state and back his plan to install a transition government ahead of free elections.
Kriener, along with ambassadors and diplomats from other European embassies, had gone to the airport on Monday to support Guaido, who had risked arrest on his return to Venezuela for flouting a court-imposed travel ban to visit other Latin American countries.
On Monday, the embassy said on its Twitter account that Kriener hoped Guaido's return “was a step towards a peaceful and political process to overcome the Venezuelan crisis”.
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Read all commentsI'm surprised Venezuela didn't expel all the ambassadors of countries that recognised Guaido at once.
Mar 07th, 2019 - 12:43 pm 0Also surprised Guaido himself hasn't been arrested yet. I suppose declaring yourself president isn't necessarily a crime, but surely some of the things he's done are?
@DemonTree
Mar 07th, 2019 - 04:16 pm 0REF: “I'm surprised”:
PLEASE don't be!
A hectic race is on now; to control the deals+trades - of drugs, arms, laundered cash [& the God only knows what ELSE]! So, whoever controls Venezuela - an attractive country - a hub - for such “businesses”; controls THAT!
Don't forget the biggest oil reserves in the world! The US is always soooo concerned about democracy in countries with oil.
Mar 08th, 2019 - 11:15 am 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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