CARACAS, Jan 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela said Tuesday it would limit the  number of accredited diplomats at the French, Italian and Dutch embassies,  citing their governments' "hostile" response to Nicolas Maduro's inauguration  for a third presidential term. The Venezuelan foreign ministry said the diplomats -- maximum three per  country -- would also need "written authorization... to travel more than 40  kilometers (25 miles) from Plaza Bolivar" in the capital Caracas. Maduro, 62, is embroiled in a standoff with the West and several Latin  American countries over his disputed claim to have won another six year-term  in July 28 elections he is widely accused of stealing. The United States, European Union, G7 and several democratic neighbors have  refused to recognize his reelection, and France, Italy and the Netherlands  last week loudly condemned Maduro's administration. On Tuesday, Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil took to Telegram to accuse  the three governments of "support for extremist groups" and "interference in  the country's internal affairs." Within 48 hours, he said, the embassies must each reduce to three their  number of accredited diplomats. Due to the new travel restrictions, any trip outside the capital will now  require a government permit. The international airport, Simon Bolivar, which  serves Caracas, is 23 kilometers from the Plaza Bolivar. "Venezuela demands respect for sovereignty and self-determination...  especially from those subordinated to the directives of Washington," wrote  Gil. - Isolated - The opposition says its tally of results from the July vote showed a clear  victory for its candidate, 75-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went  into exile in Spain in September after first taking refuge at the Dutch  embassy. Venezuela's CNE electoral council, loyal to the regime, had announced victory  for Maduro within hours of polls closing. It never provided a detailed vote  breakdown. In a sign of Maduro's isolation, only two prominent regional leaders -- Cuban  President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan ex-guerrilla Daniel Ortega --  attended his inauguration. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his  congratulations and China's Xi Jinping sent a special envoy. Washington and London promptly issued a bevy of sanctions on Maduro's regime  for staging what the opposition called a coup. Critics denounced a fresh crackdown on opponents and critics in the lead-up  to Friday's swearing-in ceremony, with several activists and opposition  figures detained. More than 2,400 people were arrested, 28 killed and about 200 injured in  protests that erupted after Maduro disputed claim to election victory. He has since maintained a fragile peace with the help of the security forces  and paramilitary "colectivos" -- armed civilian volunteers accused of  quelling protest through a reign of neighborhood terror. - 'Violent rhetoric' - French President Emmanuel Macron last week insisted "the will of the  Venezuelan people must be respected" in a call with Gonzalez Urrutia,  recognized by several countries as the legitimate president-elect. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced "another unacceptable act of  repression by the Maduro regime" after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado  was briefly detained at an anti-Maduro rally on the eve of his inauguration. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, writing on X, expressed deep  "respect" for Machado and voiced concern about the "increased violent  rhetoric of the Maduro regime and reports of recent arrests." In office since 2013, the former bus driver and trade unionist has clung to  power through a mix of populism and repression, even as the United States  imposed punishing sanctions on the key oil sector and the economy imploded.