Sunday, March 1, 2015

Maduro imposes U.S. visa restrictions, limits embassy staff amid growing tensions

Maduro imposes U.S. visa restrictions, limits embassy staff amid growing
tensions
BY JIM WYSS JWYSS@MIAMIHERALD.COM
03/01/2015 12:20 AM 03/01/2015 12:20 AM

Venezuela said it will limit the number of U.S. diplomats allowed to
work in the country, require all U.S. visitors to apply for visas, and
ban a number of U.S. politicians — including Florida legislators and
former President George W. Bush — from entering the South American nation.

President Nicolás Maduro announced the actions in a nationally televised
speech Saturday, marking a new low for the two countries, which have
important trade ties but haven't exchanged ambassadors since 2010.

Maduro said U.S. meddling and coup-plotting had forced him to take the
measures. It's unclear when they might go into effect, but they could
pose a formidable new obstacle to diplomacy and trade.

Maduro couched the moves as retaliation. Earlier this year, the United
States passed a law denying visas and freezing the assets of Venezuelan
officials connected with human rights abuses and corruption.

On Saturday, Maduro said he was producing his own list of U.S. officials
who would be barred from entering Venezuela for their roles in Iraq,
Syria and Vietnam. Topping that list, he said, were President Bush,
former Vice President Dick Cheney and the former head of the CIA George
Tenet. Florida lawmakers Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, all Republicans and outspoken critics of
Venezuela, are on the list, as is New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.

"They cannot enter Venezuela because they're terrorists," Maduro said
before a crowd of supporters. "Out of here, terrorists."

In addition, Maduro said U.S. citizens will now need visas to enter the
country. The U.S. charges Venezuelans $160-$190 for most temporary visas
and Maduro said his country would respond in kind.

Tourists, business travelers and athletes are "always welcome," he said,
but the changes were needed to "protect the country."

A senior Obama adminstration official told the Miami Herald that they
had received "no diplomatic communications from the Venezuelan
government regarding these matters and have no further comment at this
time."

Ros-Lehtinen, however, fired back in a statement to the Herald.

"I'm honored to be prohibited from entering Venezuela by its
thug-in-chief, Maduro," she said. "This is just another example of
Maduro taking orders from the Castro regime [in Cuba] and trying to
create a distraction from the deprivations of liberty in Venezuela and
his disastrous policies."

Diaz-Balart took to Twitter with a sarcastic tweet: "I've always wanted
to travel to a corrupt country that is not a free democracy. And now
Castro's lap dog won't let me! #quepena #maduro."

Said Rubio in a statement to the Herald: "No matter where I am, I will
continue exposing the murders, human rights abuses and economic disaster
that Nicolas Maduro and his regime are responsible for in Venezuela."

Citing Ministry of Tourism figures, the Associated Press said 36,000
U.S. citizens visited the country in the first nine months of 2014,
about half the number that visited in 2012.

It's unclear what kind of impact the move might have on commerce and
trade. Venezuela is one of the world's largest oil producers and the
U.S. is among its top clients.

Finally, Maduro said the U.S. Embassy will have to shed staff.

"They have 100 officials here and we have 17 there," he said. "We have
to have equal terms."

U.S. Embassy officials will also have to get prior clearance for any
meetings through the foreign ministry, he said.

The announcement came as government loyalists and the opposition took
the streets Saturday in dueling demonstrations.

Red-clad supporters of the socialist administration clogged parts of
Caracas to mark the 26th anniversary of the Caracazo riots.

The opposition was driven to the streets in part by last week's arrest
of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma and the shooting death of a 14-year-old
during an anti-government protest.

The government has accused Ledezma of being part of a U.S.-backed coup.
As proof, it has pointed to a statement he signed demanding a peaceful
political transition in the country.

On Saturday, the Alianza Bravo Pueblo political movement said more than
52,000 Venezuelans had signed that document as a show of support.

In the troubled border state of Táchira, Maria Corina Machado, who was
also one of the original signatories of the document and was stripped of
her congressional seat last year, said the government was desperate.

"It's clear that Maduro has no limits on what he's willing to do to stay
in power," she said in a statement. "Society has to put limits on the
dictator, and that's what we're asking of all citizens."

Facing a severe economic crisis and soaring crime as the nation is
gearing up for congressional elections, Maduro has insisted that the
protests and tumult are part of a plot by the United States and the
opposition to oust him from power.

On Saturday, Maduro claimed that security forces had captured a U.S.
pilot of Latino origin in Táchira along the border with Colombia. He
said the man was engaging in "secret activities" and "espionage" and
that he was cooperating with authorities.

Earlier this month, Maduro said the United States had co-opted military
officials who planned to use an airplane to assassinate him and bomb
government buildings. The State Department called those allegations a
"ludicrous" ploy to distract from Venezuela's troubles.

Also on Saturday, Venezuela released four missionaries from North Dakota
who were detained several days ago, the AP reported. They were banned
from the country for two years.

Since taking office almost two years ago, Maduro has often claimed that
he's the victim of coup plots and assassination attempts.

On Saturday, Maduro blamed President Barack Obama for the deteriorating
relations.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. President, that you have gone down this dead end,"
he said. But he also added that the actions were not directed at the
citizenry of the "brother nation" but "against the imperial elite."

Miami Herald reporter Patricia Mazzei contributed to this story.

Source: Maduro imposes U.S. visa restrictions, limits embassy staff amid
growing tensions | Miami Herald Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article11844188.html

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