Venezuela to reduce US embassy staff
Print Edition
Venezuela will reduce the number of US embassy staff, limit the activities of US diplomats and require American citizens to apply for visas if they want to come bask on the beach.
Speaking before a crowd that rallied to protest imperialism, President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that “gringo” meddling had forced him to adopt the series of restrictive measures, which include requiring US diplomats to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct here.
Maduro said he was imposing the new tourist visa requirement for national security reasons, saying that in recent days authorities had detained several US citizens who he alleged were involved in espionage, including an American pilot.
The president and other officials gave no specific information on any Americans in custody. Earlier in the day, Venezuela released four missionaries from North Dakota who had been detained several days ago for unknown reasons. They were banned from coming back for two years.
Relations between the two countries have been rapidly deteriorating as Maduro blames US plotting for the host of economic and social woes plaguing the socialist-governed country. He recently accused the US of working with local opposition groups to stage a coup. Washington called the accusation ludicrous.
The two countries have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010, but have continued to exchange diplomatic staff.
Maduro addressed Obama directly, saying the US president has “arrogantly” refused to engage in conciliatory talks.
“I’m very sorry, Mr President, that you have gone down this dead end,” he said.
Venezuela will charge Americans the same tourist visa fees that the US charges Venezuelans and it will require payment in dollars, which are increasingly scarce in Venezuela. Maduro said all comers would be welcome, except for a few US officials, including former President George W Bush and Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
The US State Department said it had not received any communications from Venezuela and couldn’t comment yet on the new restrictions, which come after the US recently imposed a travel ban on a list of top Venezuelan officials accused of human rights violations.
As one of the world’s largest oil producers, Venezuela remains an important destination for executives, and the new restrictions could affect US companies investing there.
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