Venezuela Suspends Deadline for US Diplomats
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Venezuela’s government has backtracked on an order that gave US Embassy personnel 72 hours to leave the country.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it is now negotiating the establishment of a US Interests Office in Venezuela and will allow US Embassy personnel to remain in the country while talks take place.
The statement said that talks about an interest section will have a 30-day limit and if no agreement is reached embassy personnel will then have to leave the country, AP reported.
President Nicolas Maduro broke diplomatic relations with the United Sates on Wednesday and had given embassy personnel three days to leave the country. But the Trump administration had refused to obey his directive, arguing that Maduro is no longer Venezuela’s legitimate president.
The new decision by Venezuela’s government puts off a potential conflict between both countries.
Earlier Saturday, the United States urged all nations Saturday to end Venezuela’s “nightmare” and support opposition leader Juan Guaido while Russia accused the Trump administration of attempting “to engineer a coup d’etat” against Maduro — a reflection of the world’s deep divisions over the crisis in the South American country.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the UN Security Council at a meeting called by Washington that it’s beyond time to back the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from what he called Maduro’s “illegitimate mafia state” and support Guaido.
The young opposition leader has declared himself the country’s interim president, arguing that Maduro’s re-election was fraudulent.