BSS
  15 Jan 2025, 10:52

Venezuela restricts diplomats from France, Italy, Netherlands 

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.