‘US coup d’etat against Chavez’
14 March 2013 8:19 AM IST
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua has charged that the United States had been plotting to overthrow late president Hugo Chavez.
He also denied on Tuesday that a US decision to expel two Venezuelan diplomats after Caracas ordered two US military officials out was a ‘tit-for-tat’ slap. The two US officials were expelled last Tuesday, shortly before Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced Chavez had died.
On Saturday, Washington declared the Venezuelan embassy’s second secretary, Orlando Jose Montanez, and consular official Victor Camacaro, both of whom worked in New York, as persona non grata and asked them to leave.
‘None of the Venezuelans were contacting US army officials to organise a coup d'etat against (President Barack) Obama,’ Jaua said, ‘the way the (American) military attaches were’ against Chavez,’ he added.
He also denied on Tuesday that a US decision to expel two Venezuelan diplomats after Caracas ordered two US military officials out was a ‘tit-for-tat’ slap. The two US officials were expelled last Tuesday, shortly before Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced Chavez had died.
On Saturday, Washington declared the Venezuelan embassy’s second secretary, Orlando Jose Montanez, and consular official Victor Camacaro, both of whom worked in New York, as persona non grata and asked them to leave.
‘None of the Venezuelans were contacting US army officials to organise a coup d'etat against (President Barack) Obama,’ Jaua said, ‘the way the (American) military attaches were’ against Chavez,’ he added.
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