Maduro attacks in full visit Spain Zapatero to mediate in Venezuela.
While former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero carried out his first contacts in Caracas to try to find channels of dialogue between the Bolivarian regime and the opposition, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, reloaded yesterday against Spain and the Journal ABC.
One day after the declaration of the "state of emergency and economic emergency" Maduro announced the start of a "counter-offensive" policy to address the "threats" and "aggression" which, according to the president, Venezuela receives from the outside and rotating around the axis Miami-Madrid-Bogota.
For mature, there is a "brutal" political and media campaign from Spain. He charged ABC, waving the cover of last Monday that this newspaper reported on measures to Venezuelan President desperate to retain power. He also cited other Spanish media.
Maduro urged "stupid oligarchs" to worry about "problems" Spaniards. "Or is that Spain is a paradise?" He asked. He also said that the "international war" against Venezuela aims to "set up a scenario of violence to justify a military intervention."
A controversial visit
In this climate, Zapatero's visit to Venezuela took place, at the invitation of the Bolivarian authorities, an initiative that the Spanish government seems, at times living the Latin American country, "recklessness" as commented yesterday to ABC governmental sources .
Former Prime Minister officially informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs displacement and, according to the head of the department, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told reporters yesterday also spoke with the chief executive, Mariano Rajoy, and himself. Apparently also contacted the Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz.
The official visit of Zapatero reaction is that this is a private initiative and the government, as García-Margallo said, does not think the agenda of the presidents.
The Foreign Minister said that Zapatero has been to inform the Government of the efforts made and added: "I wish you success, because the situation is catastrophic from the economic point of view and extraordinarily locked from the political point of view. Any law approving the Assembly is automatically annulled by the Supreme Court and in such conditions it is not possible without dialogue and dialogue is not possible national reconciliation and a project that covers all Venezuelans. "
"Exception status"
In any case, the sources consulted by ABC emphasize that, 'although no doubt the rightness of Zapatero "the decision to go now Venezuela is seen as a" reckless "because just entered into force in the country a decree proclaiming the "state of exception" with the military on the street, while the opposition suffers from the shackles of the National Electoral Council to hold a recall referendum this year to try to remove Maduro.
The attitude of distancing Zapatero contrasts with the express support that the government also gave the Socialist government of former president Felipe González, when traveled in June last year to Venezuela to provide legal advice to opisitores imprisoned by the Bolivarian regime. Mariano Rajoy revealed that Gonzalez had even spoken to before his trip, which was heavily criticized by Chavez.
Other sources close to the PSOE indicated to this newspaper that Gonzalez would have shown also very reluctant to Zapatero's decision, which is welcome, however, welcomed by the Venezuelan government.
In fact, Zapatero has been invited by the authorities of Venezuela, along with former Presidents Martin Torrijos of Panama and the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez, under the patronage of the Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations, the Colombian Ernesto Samper-who have always been targeted sympathies for populist regimes, with the intention of seeking mediation between government and opposition.
After arriving on Monday afternoon to Caracas from Santo Domingo, where he participated as an observer in the elections held in the Dominican Republic, Zapatero, with Torrijos and Fernandez, he was treated to a dinner private by Minister of Foreign Affairs , Delcy Rodríguez. In the previous stay of Zapatero in Venezuela, on the eve of parliamentary elections on 6 December, the minister praised his "conciliatory" attitude toward those of "interventionist" character and "disrespectful" of other former presidents arrived in the country.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who has been on two candidate for President of Venezuela occasions, said yesterday at a press conference that "most likely" will meet with Zapatero, and insisted that all international personalities who arrive in the country with the intention to "mediate" for a political dialogue should advocate a referendum be conducted to revoke the mandate of President Nicolas Maduro.
"To all who come to mediate as the secretary for relations with states of the Vatican, Paul Richard Gallagher who probably reach the country next week- will be asked to mediate by the recall," he reiterated. Capriles said that would not ask former presidents to call for the resignation of Maduro because "we know that will not give up so it is useless, but we would ask them to intercede for us so that Maduro accept the recall referendum and not hinder" .
"Truth Commission"
The willingness of opposition groups to meet with Zapatero and Fernandez Torrijos ruled that the visit takes place under the umbrella of the so-called "Truth Commission" of which, according Samper, were part of the three former presidents.
The opposition rejected the Commission formations considered an instrument with which Maduro tries to counter the Amnesty Law approved by the Venezuelan National Assembly where the opposition has a majority.
Zapatero received by the Spanish Embassy in Caracas, the ceremonial attentions are entitled to as a former chief executive, although, unlike what happened when he visited Venezuela in December, could not be accommodated at the ambassador's residence and did so in a hotel.
The house of the ambassador, Antonio Pérez-Hernández, is closed since April 6 was recalled for consultations by the Spanish government in protest at the repeated insults leveled against Rajoy by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
