Venezuela to break diplomatic relations with US; President Maduro gives diplomats 72 hours to leave
Addressing supporters today Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has reportedly revealed he is to break diplomatic relations with the US.
Mr Maduro has also given US personnel 72 hours to leave the country.
BREAKING: Maduro says Venezuela is breaking diplomatic relations with the United States, gives U.S. personnel 72 hours to leave the country. More: https://t.co/XhQPqexCV2 pic.twitter.com/ti1lMNprIC
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 23, 2019
The latest move comes after US President Donald Trump recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.
"Today, I am officially recognizing the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela," Trump said in statement.
He went on to call the Maduro government "illegitimate" and "directly responsible for any threats" posed to the Venezuelan people.
In a speech yesterday Mr Maduro also hit out at a video message from US Vice President Mike Pence reaffirming unwavering support for a regime change in Venezuela.
In the video Mr Pence declared the time has come for the Venezuelan people to take the matters into their own hands.
Dubbing the speech as shameless meddling in his country’s affairs, Maduro said he rejected such “imperialist interventionism”.
#EnVivo 📹 | Nos sumamos a la extraordinaria movilización del pueblo aguerrido en conmemoración del 61° Aniversario de la Rebelión Popular del #23Ene de 1958.https://t.co/mvXo9X1gFs
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) January 23, 2019
Reacting to the crisis Atilio Borón, professor of political science in the University of Buenos Aires, told Russia Today that few in Latin America believe the US government is interested in democracy and freedom.
"They have supported all the dictatorships that we had suffered in Latin America for decades,” he told RT.
"They are creating a humanitarian crisis and then they want to appear as the ones who can solve all the problems.
“This is a desperate move, because they cannot defeat Maduro at the ballot box and they are promoting a sort of public insurrection which may backfire,” Boron added.
“If they want to help, the first thing they should do is stop blocking the foreign relations with Venezuela and other countries which are ready to sell their goods to Venezuela.”
