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LatinNews Daily - 25 September 2018

Venezuela crisis: Maduro and Duque ratchet up rhetoric

Development: On 24 September Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro accused the governments of Chile, Colombia, and Mexico of complicity in an alleged assassination attempt on his life by drones last month, while his Colombian peer Iván Duque called for the international community to impose a “diplomatic blockade” to bring down the “dictatorship”.

Significance: Tensions are running high ahead of a series of meetings on Venezuela on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week. While Duque is leading a regional bid to secure more funding for countries absorbing an influx of Venezuelan migrants, and for a concerted effort to bring pressure to bear on the Venezuelan government, Maduro is focused on discrediting the Duque administration ahead of the debate by accusing the Colombian embassy along with the Chilean and Mexican embassies in Caracas of aiding and abetting “terrorists” who attempted to assassinate him.

  • “Today I can say we have convincing elements of the participation of Chilean, Colombian, and Mexican diplomats in the protection of these people who undertook a terrorist act”, Maduro said during a televised address on 24 September, enlarging upon allegations made by his communications minister, Jorge Rodríguez, two days earlier. Maduro showed a video of the arrest of a Venezuelan, Henryberth Rivas, who allegedly participated in the drone attack. Maduro did not provide any evidence to corroborate his claims that Rivas received assistance from these three foreign embassies.
  • Maduro said that his government would be very happy for an international commission to carry out an independent investigation to look at “all of the evidence and testimonies” connected with the drone incident, and would raise the issue during the UNGA.
  • Duque, meanwhile, said he had discussed Venezuela with the UN Secretary General António Guterres on the margins of the UNGA yesterday. Duque called for the international community to impose a “real and effective diplomatic blockade on Venezuela to end this dictatorship”.

Looking Ahead: A meeting will take place today ( 25 September) on the margins of the UNGA to address the exodus of Venezuelan migrants. Duque expressly ruled out Venezuela’s Vice President Jorge Arreaza being permitted to take part, saying “this will be a forum in which countries that defend democracy will participate and we want freedom for Venezuela”.

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