Juan Guaidó puts more pressure on Chavez with a request for humanitarian aid for Venezuela – 03/02/2019

Venezuela's interim president, opposition Juan Guaidó, announced on Sunday the date of the arrival of humanitarian aid to the country, implicating President Nicolás Maduro, who considers this initiative as the door to a military intervention by United States.

Guaidó announced the day before, during a mbadive protest in Caracas, the installation of drug storage centers and food in neighboring Colombia and Brazil and on a Caribbean island.

"We will announce the day when we will receive this aid" and "the opening of the humanitarian corridor", to "increase the pressure" on Maduro and obtain "an usurpation, a transitional government and free elections", said the head of Parliament by majority of the opposition.

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At his request, the United States has already "mobilized and transported humanitarian aid" For Venezuela, US National Security Advisor John Bolton announced on Twitter Saturday night.

In front of a crowd celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Chavez revolution, Maduro called the opponents "imperialist beggars" because the US had offered an initial $ 20 million in food and medicine.

Guaidó, 35, said the next step would be to formally request the European Union (EU) to benefit from humanitarian aid and badet protection in order to prevent the Maduro government to use state resources in the bloc countries.

An ultimatum given to Maduro by France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and the Netherlands expires at midnight on Sunday to accept "free elections" or otherwise recognize the opponent, as did the United States and a dozen other countries.

If this Sunday "Maduro does not commit to hold a presidential election, we will consider that Guaidó is legitimate to organize them in his place, and we will consider him as acting president until the legitimate elections," said Sunday the French Minister of European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau.

In turn, in a joint statement, the European Union (EU) and Uruguay confirmed Sunday that the international contact group on Venezuela would hold its first meeting on 7 February in Montevideo.

Political conflict he is living in the midst of a severe economic crisis, with hyperinflation and shortage of food and medicine, which has driven the exodus of some 2.3 million Venezuelans since 2015, according to the UN.

For the worse, the oil company PDVSA is in default and its production in free fall, now strangled by US sanctions that will hinder the purchase of Venezuelan oil from April 28.

In an attempt to put an end to Guaidó's attack, Maduro said Saturday he subscribed to the proposal that the ruling Constituent Assembly should advance from 2020 to this year's legislative power, betting that the opposition would lose the only power that she controls.

But his main support, the armed forces are starting to show cracks. EOn Saturday, General Francisco Yánez, of the military aviation, ignored Maduro, becoming the highest ranking active armed forces to recognize Guaidó.

Bolton asked the uniforms to follow "the direction of General Yánez". Saturday night was followed by another retired general.

Without mentioning Yánez, Maduro said that under his command, "the armed forces are becoming more loyal and engaged," and reiterated that the United States was using Guaidó as a "puppet" to strike a coup. .

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Guaidó, who was sworn in on 23 January, offers an amnesty to soldiers trying to overthrow the armed forces on his behalf. "I'm sure many soldiers will repeat it very soon," he said referring to the general.

The expert on military affairs, Rocío San Miguel, said that the official statements anticipated "the confrontation between the armed forces against Maduro".

Guaidó, 35, is self-proclaimed after Congress declared Maduro "usurper" after taking Jan. 10 a second term that he considers illegitimate – within the framework of the international community – because "fraudulent" elections.

Maduro, 56, says he has the support of China and Russia, two of his biggest creditors.

Warning that this month will be "decisive" to take Maduro out of power, Guaidó announced a mobilization for February 12 on the occasion of the Youth Day and another mobilization to lobby for the entrance humanitarian aid.

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In the midst of polarization, the EU will create a contact group of countries from Europe and Latin America for 90 days in order to seek a way out of the crisis. Mexico and Uruguay convened a conference with "neutral countries" on February 7 in Montevideo. .

Maduro again called for a negotiation, but Guaidó badured that it would not lend itself to "fake" dialogues and that the Venezuelans "will continue on the streets until the usurpation ceases".

According to the UN, riots killed 40 people and 850 arrests last week. In 2014 and 2017, two waves of protests killed at least 200 people.

Source: AFP, AP and Clarín