Tensions Heat Up between EU and Maduro in Venezuela
EU foreign policy chief condemns Venezuela’s expulsion of ambassador
HAVANA TIMES – The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the expulsion of the EU’s ambassador from Caracas on Tuesday, a move the Venezuelan president had taken in response to sanctions issued against individuals from the South American country, reported dpa news.
On Monday, the European Council had added 11 Venezuelans to the sanctions list for “undermining democracy and rule of law,” bringing the total to 36. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.
In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a few hours later ordered the EU ambassador to Caracas to leave the country within 72 hours.
The European Commission’s foreign affairs office swiftly threatened additional measures. “We condemn and reject the expulsion of our ambassador in Caracas,” Borrell wrote on Twitter. “We will take the usual necessary measures of reciprocity.”
The sanctioned individuals are accused of unduly stripping parliamentary immunity of several of its members, including its president Juan Guaido.
The EU considers Guaido the legitimate head of the National Assembly despite a Venezuelan Supreme Court decision earlier this month confirming government ally Luis Parra as holding the post instead.
Guaido was elected parliament speaker in January 2019 and was subsequently recognized by about 50 countries as Venezuela’s interim president.
Maduro is going to end up like Nero. Fiddling, while Venezuela and the hopes of its people burn around him.
The sad reality is that Venezuela, at best, is a poor man’s Cuba. That’s to say that at least Cuba, at its political zenith, had Fidel Castro as its charismatic protagonist. He represented a veritable David vs. Goliath struggle against imperialism. Maduro, on his best day, is no better than a crime boss, and not a very good one. As a result of Venezuela’s B-movie image, who cares about what happens there? I’m guessing that the EU ambassador is glad to be heading back to Europe.