Venezuela crisis: Maduro aides agreed he had to go, US says Archived Message Posted by spike on May 1, 2019, 6:51 am, in reply to "Times for Terrorism" It's just possible that Maduro and the three 'loyalists', perhaps with Russian guidance, have played a blinder and made the US and its tools look like complete tools. It's heartening to hear psycho Bolton et al whining like spoiled children who've had their ball taken away. Having spent several hours under the strange headline 'Guido accused of attempted coup' on the BBC front page the general story of the coup has now, of course, disappeared off to the Latin America pages and the article below (as formulated here) is nowhere to be found. ............................. Venezuela crisis: Maduro aides agreed he had to go, US says Three members of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's inner circle agreed with the opposition that he "had to go" but then backtracked, US officials have said. It comes after the opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on the military to help him end Mr Maduro's rule. Protesters took to the streets in the capital Caracas in support on Tuesday. But military leaders appeared to be standing behind Mr Maduro, accusing Mr Guaidó of an attempted coup. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also alleged the president had been prepared to leave the country on Tuesday and fly to Cuba but was talked down by Russia. He has offered no evidence of the claim. "They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay," Mr Pompeo told broadcaster CNN. Who were the officials? US National Security Advisor John Bolton has alleged Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino was one of the men involved in three months of negotiations with the opposition. However, Mr Padrino appeared on television surrounded by soldiers on Tuesday, asserting their continued loyalty to Mr Maduro. Mr Bolton also named Supreme Court chief judge Maikel Moreno and presidential guard commander Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dala. He said they had committed to "to achieve the peaceful transition of power from the Maduro clique" to Mr Guaidó, who the US, UK and a number of the other countries recognise as Venezuela's rightful leader. "All agreed that Maduro had to go," Mr Bolton told reporters in Washington. Mr Bolton offered no evidence that Mr Maduro's loyalists were preparing to abandon him. The assertions were later repeated by Elliott Abrams, the US envoy for Venezuela. What's happening in Venezuela? A power struggle between Mr Maduro and Mr Guaidó, who is leader of the opposition-held National Assembly, has been brewing since January. Mr Guaidó declared himself as interim leader and has been recognised by dozens of countries but Mr Maduro has held on to power. This morning Mr Guaidó appeared in social media video alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who had been under house arrest since being found guilty of inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2014. In it, he declared he was in the "final phase" of ending President Maduro's rule and announced he had the support of "brave soldiers" in Caracas. "The National Armed Forces have taken the correct decision... they are guaranteed to be on the right side of history," he said. However, the entire military did not appear to be backing Mr Guaidó as the morning continued. The BBC's Guillermo Olmo, in Caracas, said Tuesday marked the most violent episode of the Venezuelan political crisis so far. There were running clashes between Mr Guaidó's supporters and armed military vehicles. Protesters were also seen throwing rocks, but being repelled by tear gas and water cannon. Television cameras also caught the moment armoured vehicles drove into a crowd. It is unclear if there were any injuries in that incident. Venezuela's health ministry said 69 people had been injured across the country. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-48114826 Message Thread: Times for Terrorism - Ken Waldron May 1, 2019, 2:28 am Venezuela crisis: Maduro aides agreed he had to go, US says - spike May 1, 2019, 6:51 am It was the Russians wot dun it ...again... - Raskolnikov May 1, 2019, 7:03 am Also the national guard driving into "a crowd" - Raskolnikov May 1, 2019, 7:06 am   Searching