International Trade
Venezuela blocks off
second bridge to Colombia: Venezuelan authorities have blockaded a second bridge to Colombia amid
fresh skirmishes between protesters and security forces loyal to Nicolás Maduro.
The move came as opposition leader Juan Guaidó travelled to Brazil to shore up
international pressure on Maduro following an inconclusive meeting of regional
leaders in Colombia earlier this week. Early on Wednesday, two shipping
containers were positioned across the Simón Bolívar bridge, a major pedestrian
crossing between the two countries, following days of sporadic violence. Footage
broadcast on Colombian television on Wednesday showed a burned-out truck bed in
front of the shipping containers, which had been positioned overnight across
the Simón Bolívar bridge. Colombia closed four crossings from its side on
Saturday evening, reopening them on Monday afternoon. (The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/27/venezuela-bridge-simon-bolivar-colombia-maduro)
Over 92% of border business remains shut: Daniel Aguilar, president of the
FEDECÁMARAS nationwide business organization for the state of Táchira reports
that over 92% of all business near to the border remains closed out of fear of
pro-Maduro armed gangs. He held the Maduro regime to be “responsible for the
clashed along the border”. More in Spanish: (Noticiero Venevisión, http://www.noticierovenevision.net/noticias/economia/fedecamaras-tachira-mas-del-92-de-los-comercios-en-la-frontera-estan-cerrados)
Fire at La Guaira port hits warehouses holding
CLAP food kits: A
fire at the La Guaira port hit warehouses where CLAP food kits are stored for
distribution by the Maduro regime. Maduro immediately orders the food to be replaced
and blamed the fire on the “extreme right
wing”. The fire had been reported to have been controlled More in Spanish: (Bolipuertos, http://www.noticierovenevision.net/noticias/nacional/reportan-un-incendio-en-el-puerto-de-la-guaira; El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/politica/34319/nicolas-maduro-ordeno-reponer-alimentos-quemados-en-galpones-de-los-clap-en-vargas)
Oil & Energy
New Venezuela opposition
CITGO Board meets, appoints new corporate officers: CITGO Petroleum Corporation has
confirmed it’s newly appointed Board of Directors after the opposition-dominated
National Assembly. The Board includes Luisa Palacios as Chairwoman, Rick Esser,
Edgar Rincón, Angel Olmeta, Luis Urdaneta and Andres Eloy Padilla. "Together with CITGO senior leadership, the
Board will work to guarantee the company's financial and operational stability;
enhance its corporate governance; and protect its assets," CITGO reported.
"CITGO is a historic brand that
provides enormous value to the American economy and the communities in which it
operates," said Luisa Palacios, newly appointed Chairwoman of the
CITGO Board. "With highly complex
refineries and, more importantly, best-in-class employees that keep this
company running smoothly, CITGO is – and will remain – a major player in the
energy industry. This Board will be working hard to provide the stability,
leadership and protection that ensures it remains so." Friday's
meeting included an intensive review of the company's business units, which provided
ample opportunity for the Board to interact with the internal management team.
The meeting included an in-depth discussion of the company's finances,
operations and immediate challenges so the Board can quickly develop and
implement its vision going forward. (Latin American Herald Tribune, http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2475446&CategoryId=10717)
CITGO loans price in potential regime change in
Venezuela: The bank
debt of oil refiner CITGO Petroleum Corp, US subsidiary of Petróleos de
Venezuela SA (PDVSA), has been volatile in recent days as Venezuela’s political
crisis deepens and the market prices in a potential regime change in Venezuela.
The company’s US$ 650 million term loan B jumped in secondary trading this
week, according to a trader monitoring the debt, after the
Houston-headquartered company last Friday installed a new board of directors
that is expected to enhance CITGO’s independence from its troubled parent
company. CITGO is also understood to be cutting ties with PDVSA in order to
distance itself from sanctions on the country recently imposed by the US,
Reuters reported on Tuesday. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/citgo-loans/citgo-loans-price-in-potential-regime-change-in-venezuela-idUSL1N20M0UE)
Russian companies in
Venezuela safe: Novak. Russian companies in Venezuela are not experiencing any problems
resulting from the escalation in the political situation in the country and
have not incurred any losses on the oil they produce there, Russia’s Energy
Minister Alexander Novak told news outlet Gazeta.ru in an interview. “Our companies present there [in Venezuela]
are following the situation very closely. To date, we have no information about
any problems or losses. Work is going as usual,” Novak said. ROSNEFT and GAZPROM
are among the foreign companies still present in Venezuela. LUKOIL’s trading
arm LITASCO, however, exited the country as soon as the United States imposed
the latest round of sanctions against the Maduro government, targeting
specifically state oil company PDVSA. (Oil Price: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russian-Companies-In-Venezuela-Safe-Novak.html)
Inside a U.S.
businessman's oil deal with Venezuela: In November 2017, Harry Sargeant III, the
former finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party, was looking to
purchase a New Jersey asphalt plant that needed a steady supply of the heavy
crude that Venezuela has in abundance. The trip got off to a worrying start
when Sergeant’s plane was directed to a special hangar in Caracas and surrounded
by soldiers. But what followed, he says, was privileged treatment, including an
unexpected meeting the next day with Nicolas Maduro. Within a year, Sargeant
had inked an attractive oilfield agreement to help raise plummeting crude
production in Venezuela. A new Delaware company called EREPLA Services LLC, of
which Sargeant is a shareholder, would rehabilitate three troubled oilfields in
exchange for almost half the revenue. Weeks after news broke of Sargeant's
partnership with PDVSA, the U.S. government unleashed tough new sanctions banning
Americans from working with Venezuela's state-run oil firm. Sargeant
acknowledges sanctions have derailed his deal. With Western oil majors steering
clear of new investment there, the country has turned to China and Russia as
well as upstart firms like EREPLA. Sargeant
insists it is not his concern who rules Venezuela. "Our business is with PDVSA, the institution," he said. "We are not into the politics of the
situation." (NASDAQ: https://www.nasdaq.com/article/meeting-maduro-inside-a-us-businessmans-oil-deal-with-venezuela-20190228-00031)
Economy & Finance
Venezuela moves 8 tons
of central bank gold: At least eight tons of gold were removed from Venezuela's central bank
vaults last week, an opposition legislator and government sources say, in the
latest sign of Nicolas Maduro's need to raise currency amid sanctions. The gold
was removed in government vehicles between Wednesday and Friday last week when
there were no regular security guards present at the bank, Legislator Angel
Alvarado and the three government sources said. "They plan to sell it abroad illegally," Alvarado said. Alvarado
and the government sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say
where the central bank was sending the gold. They said the operation took place
while central bank head Calixto Ortega was abroad. There is reportedly only 140
tons of gold remaining in the vaults. In 2018, 23 tons of mined gold were
transported from Venezuela to Istanbul by plane, according to sources and
Turkish government data. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-gold-exclusive/exclusive-venezuela-removed-8-tons-of-central-bank-gold-last-week-legislator-idUSKCN1QG2QG)
U.S. studying mysterious bond billionaire's Venezuela
deals: The U.S. is
considering sanctions against Wall Street billionaire David Martinez as part of
its effort to topple Nicolas Maduro’s regime by cutting off its access to
financing, according to three people familiar with the matter. Treasury
Department officials have also discussed naming Martinez, the founder of the
Delaware-domiciled hedge fund Fintech Advisory Inc., as a specially designated
national for his business dealings with sanctioned Venezuelan officials
including Finance Minister Simon Zerpa and Economy Vice President Tareck El
Aissami, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because the
information is private. Martinez visited Caracas as recently as December to
pitch deals that would ease the government’s cash squeeze. (Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-26/u-s-said-to-study-mysterious-bond-billionaire-s-venezuela-deals)
Politics and International Affairs
UN to vote on dueling
US, Russia drafts on Venezuela: The UN Security Council will vote Thursday on two rival draft resolutions
from the United States and Russia aimed at confronting the crisis in Venezuela,
but both are expected to fail, according to diplomats. On Wednesday, the United
States put forward a measure that would call for presidential elections to end
the political standoff and unimpeded deliveries of aid to ease shortages of
food and medicine in Venezuela. A competing Russian text urges a peaceful
settlement of the crisis and recalls that aid deliveries to Venezuela require
the consent of Maduro’s government. The council is set to vote around 9:30 am
(1530 GMT) on both proposed measures. Russia and China, which support Maduro,
are likely to veto the US draft resolution that “expresses deep concern about the actions of a regime that have caused
an economic collapse,” diplomats said. But the Russian measure, which
expresses “concern over the threats to
use force” against Venezuela, is unlikely to garner the nine votes for
adoption, according to diplomats. Resolutions at the Security Council, which
are legally binding, must garner nine votes to be adopted, with no vetoes from
the five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United
States. The US-drafted text calls for “free,
fair and credible presidential elections,” with the presence of international
observers, describing the May vote in which Maduro was declared the winner as “neither free nor fair.” It expresses
support for “the peaceful restoration of
democracy and rule of law in Venezuela” and requests that UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres broker a deal on holding fresh elections. Russia’s
draft resolution urges a settlement “through
peaceful means” and welcomes calls by Guterres for dialogue. Russian
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said the
attempted aid delivery over the weekend was like an "illegal state border crossing" that amounted to a "forced feeding." US envoy Elliott
Abrams, clearly angered, shot back saying:
“I reject from start to finish, I reject from top to bottom, accusations of
military interventions from a country that is occupying the territory of Georgia
and Ukraine.” He said that the world should back Guaidó and “address the destabilizing results of Maduro’s
corrupt, fraudulent and incompetent reign, which just this weekend brought
instability and violence” to the borders of Brazil and Colombia. UN expert
Richard Gowan said the United States is hoping to pile pressure on Caracas by
showing that most council members back its stance, even if Russia and China
block the measure. “The problem is what
the US does next after this resolution fails. Does it keep trying to pile moral
pressure on Maduro, or does it conclude the UN diplomatic route is dead?” At
a council meeting on Tuesday, Abrams said his government was “deeply concerned” about Guaidó’s safety
after Maduro said in an interview that the opposition leader would have to face
justice when he returns from Colombia. (Arab News: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1459261/world;
CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/27/us/venezuela-Guaidó-presidential-duties/index.html;
Daily Times: https://dailytimes.com.pk/359399/us-seeks-vote-on-un-resolution-to-allow-aid-into-venezuela/;
Latin American Herald Tribune, http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2475443&CategoryId=10717;
Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-27/u-s-seeks-un-security-council-vote-on-new-venezuela-resolution)
'Worthless' UN blasted for weak Venezuela
response, playing into Maduro's hands: As the Venezuelan government burns
aid convoys, represses its people and forces them to eat out of garbage trucks,
critics say the United Nations is struggling to find its voice as it issues
weak statements of condemnations, while a pro-Maduro coalition digs in at U.N.
headquarters. “[Secretary General Antonio Guterres] is playing right into #Maduro plans,”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted this month. “Fake @UN 'negotiations' to divide opposition & buy time for
protests to die down. Maduro will also want UN “experts” to blame #Venezuela
crisis on sanctions.” “When it comes to democracy & human
rights UN increasingly worthless,” he said. Rubio’s remarks represent part
of a broader concern by conservatives that left-wing governments and
institutions like the U.N. are downplaying the humanitarian crisis engulfing
Venezuela due to its socialist ideology. In the U.S., politicians such as 2020
presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders have come under fire for their alleged
failure to call out the Maduro regime. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was
criticized by Rubio specifically for repeated meetings with the Maduro regime’s
Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, offering to help conduct a “serious negotiation to help the country out
of the present standoff for the benefit of the people of Venezuela.” Guterres’
statements since then have been weaker than what many hope the international
body would issue given such dire circumstances, a statement in which his office
said he was following “with increasing
concern the escalation of tensions in Venezuela.” On Sunday, Human Rights
Chief Michelle Bachelet was somewhat stronger as she decried “disgraceful scenes.” “The Venezuelan government must stop its
forces from using excessive force against unarmed protesters and ordinary
citizens,” she said. While appeals to “both
sides” are typical of U.N. officials -- who regularly seek neutrality as
much as possible to be a neutral space for negotiation -- to those looking for
a tougher line on the Maduro regime, the statement from Guterres is likely only
to fuel their disappointment. Furthermore, far from being a neutral space for
dialogue and negotiation, the U.N.’s New York headquarters is becoming
something of a rallying point for pro-Maduro countries to give support to the
failing regime. Arreaza, this month, announced the formation of a group that he
said would defend the U.N. Charter, flanked by more than a dozen ambassadors
and diplomats from countries including Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, China
and Russia. (Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/world/worthless-un-blasted-for-weak-venezuela-response-playing-into-maduros-hands)
Guaidó meets with Brazil’s
Bolsonaro, will re-enter Venezuela to his 'duties
as president': Venezuelan
leader Juan Guaidó is now facing the challenge of finding a way back into the
country. "I will announce the day of
our return, so that you can be with us," Guaidó said in a tweet to
supporters Wednesday. He asked for demonstrations to continue. "We will decide. Due to security concerns we
are not ruling out options," he'd said a day earlier in an interview.
He declined to detail his return other than saying it would be a matter of
days. Guaidó said he's aware of a possible attack against him from Nicolas
Maduro's regime, but said "that
won't stop us." The opposition leader said efforts to collect more aid
will continue "because the
humanitarian crisis" persists. Guaidó met Friday with Colombian
President Ivan Duque and colleagues from Chile and Paraguay, and participated
Monday in a Group of Lima nations meeting in Colombia, Guaidó was due to arrive
in Brazil on Wednesday night to meet with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as
part of a tour of several nations to ratchet up international pressure on
President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Guaidó will travel to Brasilia for a
two-day visit from Bogota. “The interim
president of Venezuela will meet on Thursday afternoon with Brazilian President
Jair Bolsonaro at the Planalto Palace,” said Maria Teresa Belandria,
appointed by Guaidó as his ambassador to Brazil and recognized as such by the Bolsonaro
government. After the meeting on 2 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Thursday, Guaidó will
hold a news conference, the envoy said. While in the Brazilian capital, Guaidó
will also meet with diplomats of other countries that have recognized him as
Venezuela’s interim leader, pending new presidential elections, Belandria said.
Guaidó said leaving Venezuela took many hours and included a walking stretch.
The regime´s Supreme Court, which is aligned with Maduro, has ordered Guaidó not
to travel internationally. Guaidó said his interim leadership intends to call
new elections about nine months after the usurpation of power by Maduro ends. Guaidó
told CNN he believes there's a chance he could be arrested upon his return. But
an attack on him, Guaidó said, could backfire for the current administration. "Venezuela is mobilized towards change and
arresting someone (does) not calm the protest. On the contrary, it speeds it up
and makes it grow." The National Assembly met this week in Caracas and
authorized Cuaidó to travel for over 5 days, as required by the Venezuelan Constitution.
(UPI: https://www.upi.com/Guaidó-planning-to-re-enter-Venezuela-after-attempt-to-pick-up-aid/8321551291066/;
CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/27/us/venezuela-Guaidó-presidential-duties/index.html;
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-rights-Guaidó/venezuelas-Guaidó-to-visit-brazil-in-bid-to-keep-pressure-on-maduro-idUSKCN1QG34U;
Latin American Herald Tribune, http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2475444&CategoryId=10718; http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2475434&CategoryId=10717; Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/venezuela-politics/rpt-Guaidós-return-to-venezuela-to-mark-brazen-defiance-of-maduro-idUSL1N20M012; Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-26/Guaidó-s-safety-at-risk-in-return-to-venezuela-u-s-envoy-warns);
and more in Spanish: El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/politica/34279/diputados-de-la-an-exigen-ponderaciones-de-proteccion-a-entidades-internacionales)
Nicolas Maduro's says said
he'd be open to a summit with Donald Trump: In his first interview with an American
television network in years, Maduro said interim president Juan Guaidó: “can come and go. He will have to face
justice, and justice prohibited him from leaving the country. I will respect
the laws … No one can be above the law. In this case, Mr. Guaidó must answer
before the Justice, not before Nicolas Maduro”. He also said: “The extremist government of the Ku Klux Klan
that that directs Donald Trump wants a wants a war for oil.” But added “I think that at one point, President Trump
will have to say "stop, stop, we must see what happens with
Venezuela," and change his policy” … and “I, as President of Venezuela, am prepared for a direct dialogue with
your government and with you to look for … 21st-century solutions, not Cold War
solutions.” Adding; “I would be
willing to go where ever I would have to go. To shake President Trump's hand”,
making an open comparison with ongoing talks with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in
Vietnam. (ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/International/venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduros-defiant-interview-tom-llamas/story)
Maduro and Trump should meet to 'find common ground': Venezuela minister:
Maduro’s foreign
minister said on Wednesday that the United States was trying to overthrow the
government of Nicolas Maduro and suggested talks with U.S. President Donald
Trump - an idea the Trump administration immediately rejected. Jorge Arreaza, addressing
the U.N. Human Rights Council, suggested that Maduro and Trump meet to “try to find common ground and explain their
differences.” He also said his country had lost $30 billion in assets
“confiscated” since November 2017 under sanctions. U.S. Vice President Mike
Pence ruled out prospects of talks. “The
only thing to discuss with Maduro at this point is the time and date for his
departure,” Pence said on Twitter. “For
democracy to return and for Venezuela to rebuild - Maduro must go,” Pence
said. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-rights/maduro-and-trump-should-meet-to-find-common-ground-venezuela-minister-idUSKCN1QG1P0;
Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-27/un-delegates-walk-out-as-maduro-s-foreign-minister-gives-speech;
AVN, http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/chancellor-arreaza-demands-reject-use-military-force-against-venezuela)
Diplomats storm out of
UN meeting as Maduro's foreign minister: Dozens of European and Latin American diplomats
abruptly walked out of the U.N.'s top human rights body on Wednesday to protest
an address by Nicolas Maduro's foreign minister. Jorge Arreaza used his speech
to float the idea of talks between President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. President
Donald Trump - even as he blasted alleged U.S. 'aggression' against his country. He told the U.N. Human Rights
Council in Geneva that the two leaders could seek 'common ground' over Venezuela's escalating crisis. More than 50
other countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's
interim president, including Canada, the UK and Venezuela's neighbors Colombia
and Brazil. Many of their diplomats stormed out of the room just as Arreaza
arrived to speak to the 47-member council. Arreaza also said in his address
that Venezuela had lost US$ 30 billion in assets 'confiscated' since Nov. 2017,
including from the state oil company Citgo.
He then renewed an invitation to the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to visit Venezuela to evaluate the impact of what he
described as a US-led 'blockade'. (Mail Online: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6751901/Diplomats-storm-meeting-Venezuelas-foreign-minister-condemned-aggression.html)
Venezuela's Guaidó says
Russia not propping up Nicolas Maduro: Don’t blame the Russians for Nicolas Maduro’s
perseverance in Venezuela. National Assembly president and opposition leader
Juan Guaidó said he did not see any signs of “broad support” from Russia in propping up strongman Maduro, he told
Russian daily Novaya Gazeta on Tuesday. “There
have been no new loans, no major investments. Just public statements,” he
said. “I do not see broad support for
Maduro. I believe that there is respectful participation of Russia in regards
to watching the fate of our country, but the same goes for other countries that
are paying attention here,” he told the paper. Guaidó has gone on the
record in the past saying that an eventual new government would honor its
obligations to Russians. (FORBES: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2019/02/27/venezuelas-Guaidó-says-russia-not-propping-up-nicolas-maduro/#61b942156b91; The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/27/venezuela-bridge-simon-bolivar-colombia-maduro)
Maduro regime’s vice president to fly into
Moscow for talks on Friday: The Maduro regime’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez will hold
talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday, the RIA
news agency reported, the latest in a flurry of visits by Venezuelan
politicians to staunch ally Russia. Rodriguez will talk to Lavrov about
cooperating with Russia to prevent military action against Venezuela, RIA news
agency said, citing the head of Venezuela’s foreign ministry Jorge Arreaza. “Our
cooperation and the situation in Venezuela will be discussed, as well as
coordination of actions to prevent any
kind of war against Venezuela,” Arreaza was cited as saying. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-russia/venezuelan-vice-president-to-fly-into-moscow-for-talks-on-friday-ria-idUSKCN1QG1XV)
Mexico’s President calls
for dialogue to resolve Venezuelan crisis: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
called on Tuesday for dialogue to find a “peaceful
solution” to the crisis in Venezuela and defended freedom of speech after a
crew from the Univision network was briefly detained in the South American
country while interviewing embattled leftist incumbent Nicolas Maduro. “I respectfully call on the parties to the
conflict to sit down, dialogue and seek a peaceful solution,” the founder
and leader of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) said in a
press conference at the National Palace. If the parties request it, Lopez
Obrador, popularly known as AMLO, offered to host talks in Mexico, allowing the
two sides in the Venezuelan political crisis to find a solution, with the idea
of having both Pope Francis and world-renowned diplomats as mediators. (Latin
American Herald Tribune, http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2475433&CategoryId=10717)
Colombia calls at U.N. for action on Venezuela
crisis: Colombia
called on Wednesday for action to end Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and bring
about a political transition leading to free elections. Francisco Barbosa
Delgado, human rights counselor to Colombian President Ivan Duque, was
addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council hours in Geneva before Venezuelan
Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza was due to take the floor. “Action and solidarity should be based on full rejection of dictatorship
of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela,” Barbosa told the meeting. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-colombia-un/colombia-calls-at-u-n-for-action-on-venezuela-crisis-idUSKCN1QG1FU)
Chile’s Piñera invites Guaidó to presidential Summit:
Chilean President Sebastián
Piñera confirmed he has invited Venezuela’s interim president Juan Guaidó to a presidential
Summit scheduled for March, to establish a South American organization to
replace UNASUR. Piñera had previously explicitly excluded the Maduro regime
from the planned meeting. More in Spanish: (El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/politica/34300/pinera-invita-a-Guaidó-a-cumbre-presidencial-de-nuevo-bloque-regional)
Hundreds of
Venezuela's military defect in four days as country spirals into further chaos:
More than 450
Venezuelan soldiers have defected in just four days as the country plunges
deeper into chaos. Soldiers who have sought refuge in Colombia since the
weekend told the Associated Press that the catalyst for defection was the
command from above to keep desperately needed humanitarian aid from their
compatriots. Troops found themselves engaged in violent confrontations with
their fellow Venezuelans. Many abandoned their posts and ran for their lives
across the border into Colombia, which has become a refuge for the newly
homeless, mostly low-ranking soldiers. Colombian immigration officials said on
Tuesday that so far, more than 320 Venezuelan soldiers have defected since the
weekend. The defections come as the Venezuelan opposition puts pressure on the
military to recognize National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó as the nation's
rightful president. (Fox News: https://foxnews.club/world/hundreds-of-venezuelas-military-defect-in-four-days-as-country-spirals-into-further-chaos)
'Venezuelan blood is
being spilled': tension flares near border with Brazil: Meanwhile, unrest continued near
Venezuela’s eastern border with Brazil after violence that left at least three
people dead and dozens injured over the weekend. On Tuesday morning, soldiers
took control of an airport in the town of Santa Elena de Uairén, which was the
focus of clashes between Venezuelan soldiers and indigenous protesters. Witnesses
say they were attempting to travel to Maurak, where members of the Pémon
indigenous community had captured 30 soldiers on Saturday. (The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/27/venezuela-bridge-simon-bolivar-colombia-maduro)
TELEMUNDO Reporter
Daniel Garrido was abducted in Venezuela: TELEMUNDO’s Venezuela correspondent Daniel
Garrido was abducted Tuesday at 6 a.m. local time on the streets near Hotel
Cayena in Caracas, while he was reporting on Maduro’s government detaining and
deporting the UNIVISION crew. “A group of
unidentified armed men forced [Garrido] into a vehicle and covered his head
with a hood,” according to a Telemundo statement. “After questioning him for
six hours and seizing his equipment, the kidnappers freed him without
explanation and without returning his equipment”, the U.S. Spanish language
network reported. (Adweek: https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/telemundo-reporter-daniel-garrido-was-abducted-yesterday-in-venezuela/395281)
Maduro regime's
colectivos continue arbitrary armed robberies, journalist says: While embattled President Nicolas
Maduro's administration claimed at the United Nations that colectivos, the government's
armed paramilitary allies, are not the ones fomenting violence in Venezuela, a
37-year-old Swedish journalist testified to a different reality Wednesday at
the National Assembly in Caracas. Annika H. Rothstein was forced to hide under
the podium at the opposition's National Assembly after a group of Maduro
supporters got through security and interrupted the meeting at the Venezuelan
legislative palace. Rothstein was eventually able to stand up again to speak. Rothstein,
who has written about anti-Semitism and is a contributor to Israel Hayom, The
Jerusalem Post, Ricochet and the Washington Examiner, talked about how she has
joined the long list of reporters who are working to cover the crisis in
Venezuela under the constant threat of the colectivos. "I know the look of them," Rothstein
told a Swedish colleague. "They show
up in motorcycles. They cover their faces and they are armed." Her
colleague published the video of their conversation on YouTube. She also said
that over the years, colectivos have gone "from intimidation to robbery and kidnapping to death squad." Rothstein
traveled from Caracas to Venezuela's border state of Táchira to cover the
crisis this week and saw the armed colectivos. She said the drive is one of the
most dangerous in the world -- especially at night. "It's no-man's land and there are kidnappings and random murders across
this road," Rothstein said. She added that the colectivos stopped her
driver and dragged her out of the car. She told her Swedish colleague she lied
to the colectivos and told them she was a socialist and showed them press
credentials from Iran and yet they still took her bulletproof vest and some
still wanted to kill her. "Two guys were crazier than the others and
were obviously high on cocaine," Rothstein said. The colectivos kicked
the drivers in the stomach and one slapped her in the face and hit her in the
chest. She said they left bruises on her face and torso. They were all carrying
semi-automatic rifles and 9 mm pistols on their hip, she said. She said she
heard about a dozen colectivos arguing among themselves about whether to kill
them. Although the group's leader told them that was a bad idea, the infighting
continued, she said. The colectivos finally told them they could leave and
fired their weapons as they ran back in the car, she said. They weren't
wounded. Rothstein, who wrote about her experience for the Daily Beast, also
reported she lost her equipment and about US$ 900 in cash. (Local10: https://www.local10.com/news/venezuela/venezuela-s-colectivos-continue-arbitrary-armed-robberies-journalist-says)
One witness, conflicting evidence: How Venezuelan
justice targets the opposition: Local opposition leader Jose Rengel has spent almost five weeks in a
cramped detention cell on the outskirts of Caracas, after a single witness
accused him of leading a riot that burned down a public building. Rengel was
arrested together with eight other men on January 24 after the witness - a
member of the ruling Socialist Party - told soldiers that the 59-year-old had
sacked shops and “completely destroyed”
a public transport office using Molotov cocktails, according to a National
Guard report filed one day later. The detained men, who are described by their
families as opposition sympathizers, now face charges of arson, theft, and
illegally carrying weapons, which could lead to 10-year jail sentences. The men
all deny taking part in the protest, according to statements they gave to a
court and their lawyers. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-evidence/one-witness-conflicting-evidence-how-venezuelan-justice-targets-the-opposition-idUSKCN1QG1FC)
United States denies
Russian accusations of planning military intervention in Venezuela: The United States has denied Russian
accusations of planning military intervention in Venezuela, despite President
Trump saying: "all options are on
the table." The two countries exchanged opposing views at a UN
Security Council meeting. Russia claimed the US was reinforcing its military
and logistical muscle in Puerto Rico and neighboring Colombia. Nicolas Maduro’s
Foreign Affairs minister, Jorge Arreaza, challenged the US and urged the UN to
approve a resolution against the "use
of force" in Venezuela. He was also defiant. (EURO News: https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/27/united-states-denies-russian-accusations-of-planning-military-intervention-in-venezuela)
US is getting closer
to military intervention in Venezuela: Gen. Anthony Tata: Brigadier Gen. Anthony Tata (Ret.)
discussed the report that a top military official in Venezuela sent his family
to China amid all the protests and why he believes that the U.S. may use
military force in Venezuela. “I think in the next two weeks we are going
to see this thing bubble up and foment,” he told FOX on Tuesday. “The
aid has to get in there and importantly President Trump has made this sort of a
line in the sand so he needs to do something that will affect, or he needs to
set the conditions that will affect the transition to [Juan] Guaidó for power.”
Tata added, “If [Nicolás Maduro's regime]
choses to inject the Cuban-trained folks and others from Russia and Iran and
Hezbollah, then I think that's a good call for the United States to get
militarily involved." (Fox Business: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-military-intervention-in-venezuela-could-come-in-the-next-two-weeks-gen-tata)
Trump says Venezuela
aid 'getting through' despite Maduro refusal: President Trump said Thursday that U.S. aid
supplies had gotten into Venezuela, despite the country's authoritarian leader
publicly refusing to allow shipments. "We're
sending supplies, supplies are getting through a little bit more. It's not easy,"
Trump said during a press conference in Vietnam after nuclear summit talks
failed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It's unclear to what degree
supplies have reached Venezuela. Although Trump claimed supplies had reached
the country, he acknowledged the conflict and condemned Maduro. "Hard to believe somebody would say, 'Let's
not do it.' What difference would it make, except it's great for his people to
let it get through," Trump said. "But we're sending a lot of supplies down. People are starving to death.
You would think the man in charge currently would let those get through. We're
getting them into some of the cities and some of the areas that need them the
most. It's very difficult, not an easy job." (The Washington Examiner:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/trump-says-venezuela-aid-getting-through-despite-maduro-refusal)
Venezuela crisis: How
much aid is getting in? The Venezuelan government has denied entry at its borders to hundreds of
tons of humanitarian aid. But despite the recent stand-off, not all international
assistance has been rejected. The Venezuelan government has praised Russia, an
ally of president Nicolás Maduro, for sending aid and said 300 tons of it had
been transported to Venezuela. But in response to questions from BBC News, the
Venezuelan government provided no further details about the contents of the aid
shipment and said there were currently no opportunities to film it. Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the shipment in a daily press call on
21 February and replied that he didn't have any information but would make
inquiries. However, the Pan-American Health Organization, which works with the
World Health Organization (WHO) did release information about medical supplies
sent by Russia. A shipment of 7.5 tons arrived on 21 February. A similar
delivery was made in April 2018. The WHO oversaw the delivery of a total of 50
tons of medicines and supplies last year from foreign countries. The UN's Financial
Tracking Service (FTS), which collates global data on humanitarian funding, recorded
US$ 24 million for Venezuela in 2018. The agencies to have received the most
money earmarked for Venezuela include the WHO, the United Nations Children's
Fund and the Norwegian Refugee Council. And this includes about US$9 million raised
through the UN's central emergency response fund for projects to improve
nutrition, overseen by international agencies including UNHCR, the UN refugee
agency, and the WHO. So far this year, another US$ 15 million has been donated,
according to the UN database. The European Commission (EC) was the largest
donor to organizations working inside Venezuela in 2018. It has been sending
humanitarian aid to Venezuela since 2016. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47369768)
Democrats strain for a
unified message on Venezuela: The Trump administration’s push to oust Nicolás Maduro as the president
of Venezuela has split Democrats in Congress, rekindling a long running debate
in the party about how aggressively the U.S. should intervene in other
countries. Most Democrats, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have supported President Trump’s decision
to recognize Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim leader. But a small group of
lawmakers are skeptical of American efforts to remove Mr. Maduro. (The Wall
Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-democrats-strain-for-a-unified-message-on-venezuela-11551355550)
The following brief
is a synthesis of the news as reported by a variety of media sources. As such,
the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Duarte
Vivas & Asociados and The Selinger Group.
