Washington, Nov. 7 (Prensa Latina) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was ready to leave the country “this morning”, but received instructions from Russia that he should remain there.
“He had a plane on the runway, he was ready to leave this morning, we understand, and the Russians said he should stay,” Pompeo told CNN.
According to the head of diplomacy, Maduro “was on his way to Havana.”
The Government of Maduro has denounced that Venezuela is living an attempted coup today, when it has been three months since Guaidó, who is the holder of the National Assembly (Parliament), proclaimed himself president in charge of the country.
“Maduro understands what will happen if he gets on that plane,” stressed Pompeo, who pointed out that the Venezuelan head of state, who is not recognized by Washington, knows the “expectations” of the administration of President Donald Trump.
The Venezuelans woke up this Tuesday with the surprise in Caracas of seeing Guaidó and the opposition leader Leopoldo López at the head of a group of soldiers at the La Carlota base raised against the Venezuelan government.
In his statements to CNN, Pompeó slipped that, after following the events of the day, “it has been a long time since anyone sees Maduro”.
Guaidó, recognized as interim president of Venezuela by 54 countries, had called a major march for tomorrow May 1, on the International Workers Day, to call for the “definitive cessation of the usurpation” of power by Maduro.
But, this morning, Guaidó announced in a video recorded around the base of La Carlota, in the eastern part of Caracas, that “the military family” had decided to join the movement that seeks the exit of Maduro and the call for new elections, “democratic and free”.
According to the mayor of the Chacao municipality, Gustavo Duque, at least 69 people were injured in the protests unleashed in Caracas after the attempted military uprising led by Guaidó.
Lopez, who was under house arrest and has been freed by military opponents of Maduro, entered with his family on Tuesday to the Chilean embassy in Caracas as “guests,” Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero reported in Santiago. EFEUSA)
