After that Venezuela announced this weekend the seizure of 400 rifles and the arrest of two Spanish citizens, three Americans and a Czech allegedly involved in “terrorist plans” to “assassinate” to the president Nicolas Maduro already the vice president Delcy Rodriguezthe political crisis of Chavismo with countries of the international community opens a new chapter.
According to the criteria of
The news was given this Saturday by the Minister of the Interior and number two of the Venezuelan ruling party, Diosdado Cabello, something that was flatly rejected this Sunday by both the Spanish diplomacy as by the United States Department of State.
“They have contacted French mercenaries, they have contacted mercenaries from Eastern Europe and they are in an operation to try to attack our country,” Cabello said.
All this is happening amidst diplomatic and political tensions not only with Washington – something of long standing – but also with Madrid after the reception of the opposition leader Edmundo González as a new asylum seeker who joins the list of Venezuelan politicians with the same status in the European country, due to the persecution of the Chavista regime.
Although relations have not been broken, the governments of Spain and Venezuela have been exchanging accusations and accusations for over a week, exacerbated by the recognition given by the Spanish Congress to González as president-elect in the presidential elections of July 28.
The Spanish detainees are Jose Maria Basoa Valdovinos and Andres Martinez Adasme and, according to Cabello, they have links with the National Intelligence Centre (CNI) and are figures close to the Venezuelan opposition. However, Madrid denied that they were members of the organisation. The men’s relatives also denied this.
Both were in Venezuela as tourists, according to their families, who last Monday, September 9, and after losing track of them, reported their disappearance on social media and at the police station.
On the other hand, what was reported by the United States Government was that three of its citizens are imprisoned, presumably in the Helicoide, headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin). This is a soldier arrested in Caracas on August 30, accused of being the head of an alleged plan of the INC to overthrow Maduro. In addition to Star David and Aaron Barren Logan.
“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.
The background
This is not the first time that Venezuela has made arrests of this type and then ended up using them as bargaining chips to open some kind of negotiation with the international community.
In May 2020, in fact, Airan Berry and Luke Denman, two former Green Berets, were accused of being involved in a plot against Maduro. In 2023, President Joe Biden pardoned and extradited Alex Saab, accused of being the Venezuelan president’s front man, while Venezuela handed over the former military officers.
A similar exchange had already taken place before. In October 2022, Washington released the nephews of the Venezuelan first lady, Cilia Flores, prisoners in the United States accused of drug trafficking, in exchange for seven imprisoned Americans, including five executives of the oil company Citgo.
Now, with Spain, there seems to be clear pressure on Pedro Sánchez’s government to avoid recognising Edmundo González as president and any kind of diplomatic pressure that the Venezuelan diaspora could exert on that country and the rest of the European Union.
Against this backdrop, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, described Venezuela as a “dictatorial and authoritarian regime” in an interview with Telecinco on Sunday. The head of European diplomacy also pointed out that by saying that Venezuela is a dictatorial regime “we are not fixing anything.”
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government reacted by calling Borrell a “spokesman for evil.”
#Venezuela #denounces #plot #Spain #United #States #assassinate #Nicolás #Maduro #diplomatic #relations #stake