Juan Guaidó, against an external military intervention: "I hope this will never happen, we want to avoid a violent outcome" – 01/02/2019

Juan Guaidó, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela and proclaimed since January 23 president director from this country he stressed Clarin that "President Macri was one of the world leaders on whom we felt the most support".

After days of phone calls to the young leader who had a parallel government to Nicolás Maduro's regime, this newspaper accepted a written exchange of questions and answers with Guaidó's advisers in Washington. Officials who are his direct line with the United States and other countries, such as Argentina, where Guaidó just named Elisa Trotta Gamus as his representative.

In addition to thanking the Argentines for their support, Guaidó spoke of the state of division that reigns in the armed forces of his country and hailed the results achieved by the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, and his team. He said that he did not want any outside military intervention. And he sent a message to China and Russia: a government of his will respects Venezuela only "legal investments". The questions were sent to him on Monday and this Friday his answers were obtained.

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Clarin Bulletins

What happened today? We tell you the most important news of the day and what will happen tomorrow when you get up

Monday to Friday afternoon.

-How does it mean to live hidden? Do you fear for your safety?

-Well, I do not live hidden. I do not live with the personal freedom I was used to, if you can say that in Venezuela, but I do not hide it. My performances are public and thankfully, I have the support of people on the street. I live under the threat of arrest and harbadment of the repressive bodies that still respond to Nicolás Maduro, as has just happened, when armed men without apparent identity, but obviously officials of the political police, appeared around my home At a time when there was only my mother and my little daughter, Miranda Eugenia. But I want to emphasize that it is not about me, but that the whole Venezuelan society is struggling to regain its democracy and freedom.

-What do you think of the message of the Chavismo military attaché in the United States who supports him with the rest of those who are in the world? Do you think there are more military and diplomats in this situation? What message do you send or did you send?

-It is a symptom of what is happening within the Venezuelan national armed forces. He is not the only officer to adopt this attitude and he will not be the last. Many others arrive. Our message to our military, our officials and other officials is very clear: we do not want them to support a political party or a party. Neither are they divided, they face, or they give a coup d'etat. We urge you to respect and implement the Constitution. Their loyalty is not to an individual, but to the nation that has entrusted them with the weapons to defend it.

-What is your badessment of the true support of the army in Maduro? I am referring to the real climate in the Venezuelan armed forces.

-According to the regime itself, three movements of middle management, that is to say, battalion commanders, insubordinate against Maduro have been revealed in the last 24 months. In fact, before the crackdown that began on January 21, there were more active prisoners of war who were deprived of their liberty for political reasons than civilians. This gives you an idea of ​​the environment within the FAN. They do not escape, especially the officers who are not part of the leadership, to the shortcomings we suffer for the rest of the Venezuelans. What is happening is that there is a climate of persecution and terror among the various forces on the part of intelligence and counterintelligence agencies acting with the Cuban council. My conclusion is therefore that they feel no esteem and much less loyalty to Nicolás Maduro.

What message do you send to China and Russia after the support of these countries to Maduro? Have you contacted these governments to ask them anything?

– There are governments in the world that are direct witnesses of the widespread corruption and waste in Venezuela over the last 20 years, those of China and Russia. The determination of the transitional government to which we comply is to respect all the commitments that the Republic has legally acquired, namely those validly approved by the National Assembly. And we will respect the legitimate investments made by companies in these countries. The China Development Bank, for example, is the creditor of a large debt incurred in recent years. The Chinese authorities know that even if Maduro usurps power, they will never be able to recover this debt. Instead, our goal is for Venezuela to be (and will remain) a stable country, a source of prosperity, which secures investment and respects its commitments.

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– Do you think it's true that Maduro has a group of Russian mercenaries from Russia?

– For the Government of the Russian Federation, trying to support Nicolás Maduro is nonsense. A useless expense. Maduro is an expelled diet. Without a future I hope that the species you are talking about is not true.

-You communicated with Mauricio Macri and his diplomats. What spoke to the Argentine President and what do you expect from this country?

-We are very grateful to the government of President Mauricio Macri and the people of Argentina. His support for the Venezuelan diaspora and the cause of Venezuelan democracy has been considerable. President Macri has been one of the world leaders in the most important support we have ever felt.

– Do you feel happy for the recognition of the OAS and Luis Almagro? How do you think you should continue to act there?

-For us, Luis Almagro is the most Venezuelan Uruguayan. We have no words to express our gratitude to him. But beyond that, as Secretary General of the OAS, he gave a great moral lesson to the whole continent. Nevertheless, the region faces the challenge posed by dictatorships in Nicaragua and Cuba, so that Almagro still has a lot to do in this situation.

– Would you agree with an armed intervention in Venezuela to get Maduro and his regime out?

– In all sincerity, I tell him that I hope that it will never happen. Our democratic struggle and our adherence to the Constitution are very difficult, but we have given it in this area because we believe in it and precisely because we want to avoid a violent outcome. However, make no mistake, a regime like Maduro's is a threat to Venezuela's neighbors and to the region as a whole.

-How would you describe your plan to call elections?

– The National Assembly has appointed a task force headed by the second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Stalin Rivas, with the aim of promoting concrete actions in the electoral field and the participation of citizens. For the rest, I constantly repeat our roadmap: end of the usurpation, transitional government and free elections.