Venezuela to Prepare for War

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Venezuela breaks ties with Panama over 'conspiracy'

2 hours ago

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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday he was breaking diplomatic and commercial relations with the Panamanian government due to a "conspiracy" against him.

"We're not going to let anyone get away with interfering with our fatherland, you despicable lackey, president of Panama," Maduro said in a speech to commemorate the anniversary of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez's death.

(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne and Eyanir Chinea; Editing by Chris Reese)

[American Patriot]

huh? lol the world has gone to hell in a hand basket and all of us are eggs, watching. Welcome to my world, Humpty...

[American Patriot]

Maduro says Venezuela detains U.S. citizens; announces moves against U.S.

By Diego Ore and Brian Ellsworth February 28, 2015 10:32 PM

. View photo

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses the audience at the Diplomatic Centre in Port-of-Spain, …



By Diego Ore and Brian Ellsworth





CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday his government had detained U.S. citizens, including a pilot, on suspicion of espionage, in a move likely to strain already tense relations between Washington and Caracas.


Maduro also said his government would order a reduction in the number of U.S. embassy staff in Caracas and prohibit some U.S. officials from entering Venezuela in retaliation for a similar U.S. measure last year. Venezuela would also require U.S. citizens to obtain visas before visiting, he told a rally.


The Venezuelan president, long at odds with Washington, has renewed accusations in recent weeks that the United States is seeking to topple him.


Maduro's political opponents at home call this a smokescreen aimed at distracting from an increasingly severe economic crisis in the oil-exporting nation.

Venezuela has been hard hit by the collapse of oil prices over the last nine months.


"We have captured some U.S. citizens in undercover activities, espionage, trying to win over people in towns along the Venezuelan coast," Maduro said at a rally in Caracas adding one was a U.S. pilot detained in the volatile border state of Tachira.


"In Tachira we captured a pilot of a U.S. plane (who is) of Latin origin (carrying) all kinds of documentation," Maduro said, without offering details.


He said U.S. politicians including former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Senator Bob Menendez would be blocked from entering Venezuela.


Menendez in response said: "Being sanctioned by the Maduro regime will never deter me from speaking out against the ruin caused by his government."
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Caracas said he was unable to comment, citing a lack of any official diplomatic communication with the Venezuelan government.


An official in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration broadly dismissed the accusations from Caracas.


"The continued allegations that the United States is involved in efforts to destabilize the Venezuelan government are baseless and false," the senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


EVANGELICALS QUESTIONED
The head of a Venezuelan evangelical organization said on Friday a group of four missionaries had been called in for questioning after taking part in a medical assistance campaign in the coastal town of Ocumare de la Costa.


That pastor, Abdy Pereira, said on Saturday in a telephone interview that the four had left the country for Aruba after having been questioned for several days about alleged involvement in espionage.


"The government attempted to link them to (espionage activities) but there was no evidence that this was the case," said Pereira.


The Communication Ministry did not answer calls seeking details about the identities of the missionaries or their whereabouts.


On the move to reduce the U.S. mission in Caracas, Maduro said he had ordered Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez to proceed immediately, based on Vienna convention rules, "to revise, reduce ... and limit the number of officials in the U.S. embassy in Venezuela."


It was not clear when embassy officials would have to leave.


Maduro added that Americans will now need visas to enter Venezuela and will have to pay the same visa fees that Venezuelans pay to get into the United States.


The president's moves followed the arrest this month of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma on conspiracy charges, a move Maduro said would stymie a U.S.-backed coup effort.


Maduro's adversaries said the plot was a charade meant to distract from consumer goods shortages, soaring prices and Maduro's tumbling popularity ratings.


Caracas and Washington have had tense diplomatic relations since the era of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, who was briefly toppled in a 2002 coup that he said was orchestrated by the State Department.


The government of then U.S. President George W. Bush endorsed that coup before backtracking when Chavez returned to power.

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Obama issues Executive Order to imply sanctions on Venezuelan officials

Jacob Pramuk | @jacobpramuk
10 Hours AgoCNBC.com

COMMENTSStart the Discussion

The Obama administration announces new sanctions on Venezuela and the targeting of seven specific Venezuelan officials, reports CNBC


The White House on Monday slapped sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials, freezing their U.S. assets and banning them from entering the United States.


The measures were announced as President Barack Obama issued an executive order declaring a national emergency related to threats posed by Venezuela's political turmoil.


"We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents. Venezuela's problems cannot be solved by criminalizing dissent," the White House said in a release.


Read MoreIs Venezuela on the 'short road to disaster?'




Tomas Bravo | Reuters

File photo: Children walk past anti-American graffiti in Caracas. President Obama announced new sanctions against seven Venezuelans on March 8, 2015.



The White House decried alleged human rights violations and arrests carried out in response to anti-government protests. It called on the South American nation to release political prisoners, including students and opposition leaders.


Venezuela will respond to the measures "soon," the country's foreign minister told Reuters.
Venezuela has dealt with increasing prices and limited access to basic goods. Inflation increased by 64.3 percent last year, and is seen staying above 60 percent this year.
Read MoreHow much things cost in Venezuela right now
Low crude prices have hit Venezuela, a major oil producer, and the country risks defaulting on its sovereign debt this year.
Several critics of President Nicolas Maduro, including Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma, have been imprisoned in recent months. Ledezma was arrested in February for his purported involvement in an alleged coup.

Obama's order targets officials who have allegedly acted to restrict free expression or other "democratic processes" or have violated human rights in response to anti-government protests. Individuals named included security, intelligence and police officials.

"We are committed to advancing respect for human rights, safeguarding democratic institutions, and protecting the U.S. financial system from the illicit financial flows from public corruption in Venezuela," the White House said.

The White House stressed that the sanctions would not target "the people or economy of Venezuela." The order would not affect the Venezuelan energy sector, Reuters reported, citing a senior administration official.
It expands on legislation passed last year in which the U.S. pledged to support democratic processes and hold Venezuelan officials accountable for human rights violations.