BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has made new appointments in the ministerial positions and created a new ministry, according to his statements released on Twitter.

The president tweeted that he launched a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade.

"I created a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade and appointed Felix Ramon Plasencia Gonzalez who will be responsible for boosting tourism and international investment in Venezuela," Maduro wrote.

Also, the president appointed new ministers of gender equality, ecology, agriculture of public works and others. </s> Guaidó says Maduro removal will be advantageous for Russia and China BUT they disagree

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaidó, a self-proclaimed interim president, told Reuters that the change of government will be advantageous to major trading partners – Moscow and Beijing.

According to Guaidó, President Nicolás Maduro does not protect the interests of Venezuela or foreign investment, and thus, a bad partner. In addition, the president of the Venezuelan Parliament has noted that he has tried to contact Russia and China.

“What most suits Russia and China is the country’s stability and a change of government,” he said. “Maduro does not protect Venezuela, he doesn’t protect anyone’s investments, and he is not a good deal for those countries.”

But Russia did not have and does not plan to have any contact and does not recognize the opposition’s presidential status, noting that Nicolás Maduro is the president who was elected by the people and that the president of a country can not be determined by other countries.

China also opposes foreign interference in Venezuela’s affairs. Beijing supports the government of Nicolás Maduro to maintain national sovereignty and stability and recognizes Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela, despite all the pressure he has suffered.

On 31 January, the European Parliament called on EU diplomat Federica Mogherini and the governments of the Member States to join in the recognition of the opposition leader.

On January 23, the head of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president of the country during anti-government protests in the streets of Caracas.

Not only did the US and the European Union support Guaidó, but also a number of countries in Latin America, including Brazil, expressed support for Guaido and the Venezuelan opposition. Alongside Nicolás Maduro are several countries, including Russia and China, but some shock additions including NATO-members Greece and Turkey, and other international allies such as Iran and Syria. </s> MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's government on Thursday urged Venezuela's government to suspend a planned July 30 vote to elect a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution and override all other institutions, including the current opposition-led legislature.

In a statement, the Mexican foreign ministry called on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to shelve the vote "and thereby open the door to a negotiation to resolve the serious democratic crisis Venezuela is going through."

Mexico has taken an increasingly critical line with Maduro's government in recent months, expressing alarm at the political unrest in the country and the state of democracy there. Maduro faces widespread foreign pressure to abort the constitutional assembly.

The tough Mexican line has helped it find common ground with the government of U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom Mexico is navigating a sensitive diplomatic phase due to the imminent renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Mexican government's call adds to growing pressure on Maduro after more than seven million Venezuelans voted in an unofficial referendum at the weekend to repudiate his plans to rewrite the country's constitution and create the new assembly.

The ministry said the referendum showed Venezuela was "deeply polarized" and that the planned assembly would only aggravate divisions and unrest in the country.

Mexico remained ready to assist in diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the impasse in Venezuela, it added. </s> In what was viewed as a heavy diplomatic blow to Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro regime, the Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday formally recognized the ambassador appointed by interim President Juan Guaidó as the legitimate representative of that nation.

The resolution, protested by the Maduro-appointed delegation and by representatives of some allied nations, was approved by the Permanent Council of the OAS with 18 votes in favor, nine against and six abstentions. Belize was not present for the vote.

The move means that Gustavo Tarre, the ambassador appointed by Venezuela’s National Assembly, of which Guaidó serves as president, will now serve as head of Venezuela’s diplomatic delegation to the OAS and will have full power to appoint the members of its mission.

The credentials issued to Maduro’s delegation will be revoked, barring them from entry into the OAS headquarters in Washington, and their diplomatic visas could eventually be canceled by the U.S. government, OAS ambassadors later told journalists.

“It is a historic day for the OAS because as of today Venezuela will have a representative who truly represents the Venezuelan people,” said Carlos Trujillo, U.S. ambassador to the organization.

“We are recognizing Ambassador Tarre as permanent representative, and he has the right, like any ambassador, to submit the people who are accredited to be part of his mission,” he added.

The vote was immediately rejected by Maduro’s Foreign Ministry in Caracas, which issued a statement saying that Venezuela had been the victim of a new plot orchestrated from Washington.

“This is one of the most unfortunate decisions taken in this organization’s long history of legal and political outrages, a vulgar manipulation of blackmail and pressure against member states to satisfy the wishes of Washington’s neo-Monroeist policy,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Headed by Maduro’s mission, the nine countries that voted against the resolution argued that the highly important issue being discussed should not be settled by a simple majority in the Permanent Council, but by a qualified majority (24 votes) in a General Assembly, the highest gathering of the OAS.

The motion was modified at the last minute by Jamaica to establish in writing that Tarre is accepted as “designated permanent representative of the National Assembly, pending the holding of new elections and the appointment of a democratically elected government.”

The original version declared Tarre as a representative of the Venezuelan state. The modified language led to speculation that the situation might lead to two different Venezuelan diplomatic missions at the OAS, with one of them tied to Maduro.

The ambassadors, however, rejected this possibility, saying that adding the National Assembly reference to a resolution does not make it a partial recognition because the legislative body is the only legitimately elected Venezuelan institution.

The OAS had already had declared that it did not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro’s second presidential term, claiming that his re-election last May was fraudulent. The organization also already recognizes Guaidó as the legitimate Venezuelan head of state, with a majority of the OAS members forming part of the more than 50 nations doing the same as individual nations.

Following the vote, Tarre told reporters that it was great news for the Venezuelan people, who he said are suffering under the Maduro regime.

“This means that the usurpation of the Venezuelan chair in the OAS ceased,” Tarre said. “Consequently, and in line with President Guaidó’s roadmap, this is another step to the end of the usurpation in Caracas, the establishment of a transition government and of free elections.” </s> Pays de Gex, France, August 14, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced seven new ministers on Monday.

Vanessa Montero, Cesar Trompiz, Asia Villegas and Oswaldo Barbera are taking over the Urban Agriculture, Higher Education, Women and Gender Equality, and Ecosocialism Ministries, respectively.

Additionally, Admiral Gilberto Pinto was tapped to lead the Ministry of Mining and National Guard General Raul Alfonso the Public Works Ministry. The final change saw the creation of a new Tourism and Foreign Trade Ministry, to be headed by Felix Plasencia.

Maduro has announced a “deep renovation” of his cabinet on several occasions in recent months. Nevertheless, prior to the latest reshuffle, only a handful of changes had taken place, including the replacement of Electricity Minister Luis Motta Dominguez following the March and April blackouts. However, key portfolios such as economy, finance, oil and the multiple vice presidencies have seen few changes since last year.

The cabinet changes followed a Supreme Court decision to lift the parliamentary immunity of three opposition lawmakers, paving the way for criminal prosecution.

According to a communique, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab requested that that the Supreme Court allow that National Assembly deputies Juan Pablo Garcia, Tomas Guanipa and Jose Guerra be investigated for “treason, conspiracy, incitement to insurrection, usurpation of functions,” among others. The accusations are covered by seven articles of the Venezuelan penal code.

Garcia, Guanipa and Guerra follow a host of opposition lawmakers that have seen their parliamentary immunity lifted since National Assembly President Juan Guaido proclaimed himself “interim president” on January 23.

The opposition has since launched several attempts to oust the Maduro government, including efforts to bring in “humanitarian aid” across a closed Venezuelan-Colombian border on February 23 and a failed military putsch on April 30. Several lawmakers had their immunity revoked for alleged involvement in these episodes, notably National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano.

Venezuela’s plenipotentiary National Constituent Assembly (ANC) lauded the Supreme Court ruling in a session on Monday, with Deputy Dario Vivas claiming that there can be no impunity.

Monday’s session also saw the body approve a decree rejecting the embargo imposed by the Trump administration against the Caribbean nation.

The text rejects “renewed meddling” from Washington, reiterating that the country has a “democratic and constitutional path to secure the people’s well-being.”

Washington escalated its sanctions program into a full-scale embargo on August 5, freezing all Venezuelan state assets in US territory and enabling sweeping secondary sanctions against entities that deal with Caracas.

ANC President Diosdado Cabello likewise announced the creation of a commission to evaluate whether legislative elections should be brought forward.

According to the constitution, elections for the National Assembly should take place in 2020, with the body’s term due to expire in December. However, the legislative chamber has been in contempt of court since July 2016 when its opposition majority swore in three deputies under investigation for voter fraud. The standoff between the legislative and Chavista-held branches of government escalated in 2017 when the opposition took to the streets in violent protests, prompting Maduro to call for ANC elections under Article 348 of Venezuela’s constitution.

Maduro and other government officials have floated the possibility of early parliamentary elections on repeated occasions. Elections are reportedly one of the topics under discussion in the government-opposition talks taking place in Barbados with Norwegian mediation, but no details have been disclosed. The Venezuelan government called off the latest round of negotiations in the aftermath of the embargo imposed by the Trump administration.

Edited and with additional reporting by Lucas Koerner from Philadelphia. </s> MADRID – Spain, Britain, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Denmark officially recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela on Monday, while France said the opposition leader had the right to organize an election in the face of the socialist government’s refusal to call new elections.

“The Government of Spain announces that it officially recognizes Juan Guaidó as president in charge of Venezuela,” Spanish President Pedro Sánchez said in a statement read before the media.

To which followed a tweet from the British Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt: “Nicolás Maduro has not called presidential elections within the 8-day limit that we have established (…) So the United Kingdom, together with the European allies, now recognizes @jguaido as interim constitutional president. ”

The coordinated movement of European countries comes after the expiration of eight days that the European Union gave Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to call a new presidential election.

The Venezuelan leader, accused of running the OPEC nation as a dictatorship and ruining his economy, has said Europe’s ruling elite is sycophantic and is following the agenda of US President Donald Trump.

Guaidó, who heads the National Assembly controlled by the opposition, proclaimed himself president last month provoking a division among the world powers.

Trump recognized it immediately and countries of the European Union backed Guaidó, but some are nervous about the precedent that someone feels self-proclaimed.

Russia and China, which have invested billions of dollars in Venezuela, are supporting Maduro. Moscow accused the EU countries of meddling in Venezuela’s affairs.

The Venezuelan government said it would “fully review” its relations with the European governments who had recognised Mr. Guaidó.

A foreign ministry statement said those governments were “officially submitting to the United States administration’s strategy to overthrow the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro”.

On Sunday Mr. Maduro dismissed calls for a new presidential vote, saying he would not accept “ultimatums”. He has denounced Mr. Guaidó’s move as a coup.

As head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Mr. Guaidó says the constitution allows him to assume power temporarily when the president is deemed illegitimate.

Meanwhile, the Lima Group of Latin American countries and Canada called Monday for a peaceful change in government in Venezuela, without military intervention.

Eleven of the group’s 14 members said in a joint statement after meeting in Ottawa that they “reiterate their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force.”

They also urged Venezuela’s military to support opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and “not to impede the entry and transit of humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans.”

Guaido’s “legitimate government of Venezuela” was also welcomed into the Lima Group.

The bulk of the funds are to go to “trusted partners” and neighboring countries to help them support three million refugees that have fled Venezuela, he said.

Mr. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has been condemned for alleged human rights abuses and for his handling of the economy.

The annual inflation rate reached 1,300,000% in the 12 months to November 2018, according to a study by the National Assembly.

According to United Nations figures, three million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 when the economic crisis started to bite. </s> Venezuela in conflict of powers: Maduro took office, but Guaidó shows as president while Venezuelans protest

It seemed sure that, starting January 10, Venezuela would experience high uncertainty. Nicolás Maduro swore in the presidency for the 2019-2015 government period in front of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), when the constitution of that country dictates that it is before Parliament that the president must present the inauguration. Both the international community and the National Assembly (AN), declared in contempt by the Supreme Court, mark Maduro as an usurper. The illegitimacy of the president is discussed globally and Juan Guaidó is recognized as interim president of the Republic.

The articles 333, 350 and 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution are in which the president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, will use to assume as Venezuelan president after declaring Nicolás Maduro's usurpation of the charge.

It must be the people of Venezuela, the Armed Forces, the international community that leads us to clearly assume the mandate that we are not going to wipe out, that we are going to exercise, Guaidó said Friday from the offices of the United Nations (UN). in Caracas during an open Parliament hall called after the taking of Maduro.

Luis Almagro, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) expressed through his Twitter account his support for Guaidó as president of Venezuela after he announced that he adheres to Article 233 of the Constitution. This position of repudiation of Maduro as president has been supported by the member countries of the European Union, the United States, the Lima Group, among other powers worldwide.

We welcome the assumption of Juan Guaidó as Acting President of Venezuela in accordance with Article 233 of the Political Constitution. You have our support, that of the international community and the people of Venezuela, tweeted Almagro.

However, the parliamentarian opposition argues that the support of the Armed Forces is crucial, starting from the thesis that the chain of command, in which the president of the Republic is the constitutional commander-in-chief of the Military, has been broken.

Political analyst Diego Cabrita argues that there is a conflict of powers in the Latin American nation. The double constitutional reading, from which there is a duplicate of each state power - a National Constituent Assembly (ANC), without opposition representation, against the AN; a Supreme Court Supreme Court with magistrates in exile appointed by the AN and now a double executive power deepens the atmosphere of political and economic uncertainty in a country where inflation estimated for 2019 reaches 10,000,000%, according to the Fund International Monetary Fund (IMF).

17 countries sent delegates of second level and only five presidents attended the ceremony in which Maduro took the disputed presidency, describing the ceremony as an act of peace, ensuring that it complied with the Constitution to democratically take the reins of the country towards a higher destiny 

For a president who based the rhetoric of his speeches solely on the figure of the late former president Hugo Chávez, without achievements, without projects and without his own political future, he devoted himself to repeating pitiful messages and assured that Venezuela is the center of a World War.

During a conference offered this Friday at the Foreign Ministry, Maduro said about OAS declarations in which Guaidó is recognized as interim president that ”it seems that a group of boys have taken control of the opposition and now want to play the destabilization, is the same group that led the guarimbas (street protests), every day they are going to get a new show and they meet at night to plan what the show will be the next day .

Rejection of Venezuelans inside and outside the country

Through platforms for Venezuelan immigrants, residents in Uruguay from that country met in Montevideo on Thursday expressing rejection of the takeover of Maduro. Ángel Arellano, coordinator of the NGO Manos Veneguayas, predicts that an agenda of mobilizations will be created inside and outside the country in response to the conflict of powers that takes place in Venezuela.

There is no agreement with any party within any country,” says Arellano regarding the support received by Uruguayan opposition politicians (right-wing). However, it would be stingy and ungrateful not to mention that the National Party, the Colorado Party, the Independent Party or the People's Party have been extremely cooperative with the Venezuelan opposition cause in the sense of extending its claim to a political level, Arellano declared during the concentration in Montevideo before the Executive, who did not adhere to the position of repudiation of the Venezuelan “illegitimate” President. </s> MADRID (AP) — European countries urged restraint in Venezuela on Tuesday and called for new elections as a way to settle the political crisis in the South American country, but there wasn't a unified voice immediately on whether to support or condemn the opposition's move to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

Officially, the European Union restated its position of calling for a "political and peaceful solution through free and fair elections," European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said at a briefing.

The president of the bloc's Parliament, Antonio Tajani, came out as the strongest European voice in support of the opposition. In a tweet in Spanish, Tajani called the events "a historic moment for the return to democracy and freedom in Venezuela," and described the release of activist Leopoldo López from house arrest as "great news."

All but four EU members endorsed the initial, Europe-wide call in February to back opposition leader Juan Guaidó when he appointed himself interim president.

The four who did not join the other EU members were Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia.

Italy has declared itself to be neutral on Venezuela, reflecting divisions within the coalition government in Rome between the right-wing League, which favors Guaidó, and the 5-Star Movement, which has warned against recognizing him.

The left-wing Greek government also has rejected pressure to endorse Guaidó and has not voiced support for Maduro as it has in the past, saying instead that elections are the only way out of the crisis.

A similar approach has been followed by Cyprus and Slovakia.

Slovakia does not recognize Guaidó as an interim president, Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris Gandel said. But he added that no Slovak representative attended Maduro's inauguration, and that showed that the country does not recognize the results of last year's presidential election.

Spain, which has been credited for setting the EU's line on Venezuela, has walked a fine line until now. Although the Spanish center-left government was the first among European peers to back Guaidó and recognize one of his aides as the "special envoy of the interim president" in Madrid, it fell short of using the term "ambassador."

That allowed Spain to maintain diplomatic ties with Maduro's administration, keeping the official Venezuelan Embassy in Madrid open. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell has warned against taking the U.S. government line of "all options on the table" to seek a "change of regime" in Venezuela, rather than facilitating free and fair elections.

A government spokeswoman said Spain "rejects a military coup," while it backs Guaidó's "legitimacy to lead democratic transition" in Venezuela.

"Guaidó represents the alternative," said the spokeswoman, Isabel Celaá, urging restraint from all sides to avoid bloodshed.

The Venezuelan crisis resonates strongly in Spain, where the issue divides parties across the political spectrum.

Thousands of Venezuelans have migrated to Spain in recent years or are seeking asylum in the country, including prominent members of the opposition and former officials who worked closely with late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. More than 177,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela.

Spain has promoted the role of the EU-led International Contact Group, which seeks elections and a safe channel for humanitarian aid into Venezuela. The ICG has been criticized by the Venezuelan opposition, which says the group helps Maduro hold onto power.

U.S. officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, were quick to issue statements of support for the opposition. Pence tweeted: "We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."

The Trump administration has led calls for countries to recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader and has won the support of 54 countries. But the effort to recruit more has largely stalled as Maduro clings to power.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the crisis in Venezuela with his top security body. Russia is a key ally of Maduro and one of his government's main suppliers of weapons.

Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin raised the topic during his scheduled meeting with his Security Council.

Peskov said the meeting "paid significant attention to the news reports about a coup attempt in that country," but he did not elaborate.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on "the radical opposition" in Venezuela to stand down and "refrain from violence."

"It is important to avoid unrest and bloodshed," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Venezuela's problems "should be resolved through a responsible process of negotiation without preconditions."

It also urged the opposition to avoid "destructive interference from abroad."

The U.N. said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all sides in Venezuela to exercise "maximum restraint," avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm.

Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, Nicholas Paphitis in Athens and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed. </s> • A month after two people died and 300 were injured in clashes at the Colombia-Venezuela border, a report from The New York Times suggests that a protester was likely behind an aid truck that caught on fire, not Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s troops, who US officials had thought were behind the incident.
• The report cites new footage of the event showing a protester throwing a Molotov cocktail minutes beforehand at a truck.
• US officials didn’t name Maduro in a statement but said he was responsible for “creating the conditions for violence.”

Last month, an US-backed effort to break Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro’s block on convoys at the border of Venezuela-Colombia and deliver foreign aid resulted on two people dead and another 300 injured.

The US government said that Maduro supporters were believed to be behind the chaos but a new report and video evidence from the New York Times suggests that a protester was seemingly responsible.

Unpublished footage reviewed by the New York Times looked at in conjunction with existing footage implies that an “antigovernment protester was the most likely trigger for the blaze.” The footage shows the same protester in a different video hitting a truck with a Molotov cocktail minutes before.

Read more: Venezuelan border clash leaves 2 dead and 300 injured as troops shower protesters with tear gas and aid supplies are set ablaze

Here’s a video that shows some of the footage:

Maduro’s handling of the economy has led to chaos in the country and caused three million people to leave in recent years.

In addition to questions about the protester, Maduro’s critics say that he ordered medication to be set on fire, but the videos do not show evidence about the claim.

“Eyewitness accounts indicate that the fire started when Maduro’s forces violently blocked the entry of humanitarian assistance,” American officials said in a statement after being contacted by the Times.

The officials still held Maduro responsible for “creating the conditions for violence,” said Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

He added, “His thugs denied the entry of tons of food and medicine, while thousands of courageous volunteers sought to safeguard and deliver aid to Venezuelan families.”

Nearly 50 nations recognize Maduro’s rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido, as the nation’s rightful president. He has been calling for international aid to be allowed into the country, but Maduro’s soldiers have been ordered to stop shipments in because he says they are part of a coup to overthrow him.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro creates a new government ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade.