France denies harbouring Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido in Caracas
JUNE 5, 2020 / 4:36 AM / UPDATED 11 HOURS AGO
PARIS (Reuters) - France denied on Friday that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido had taken refuge at any of its diplomatic sites in Caracas after the Venezuelan foreign minister said he was hiding in the French Embassy.
“Mr Juan Guaido is not at the French residence in Caracas,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement. “We have repeatedly confirmed this to the Venezuelan authorities.”
A French diplomatic source clarified that Guaido was not in any French sites in the South American country.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told Union Radio on Thursday that Guaido was in the French embassy and also accused Spain of harbouring Leopoldo Lopez, another opponent of the government.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-venezuela-guaido/france-denies-harbouring-venezuelan-opposition-leader-guaido-in-caracas-idUSKBN23C17M?rpc=401&
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Cutting water and electricity to the Cuban Embassy was inflicted long ago by the right-wing racist oligarchs during Hugo Chavez's Presidency, during their first coup attempt:
Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 09:29 GMT 10:29 UK
Venezuela mayor tried over siege
By Greg Morsbach
BBC News, Caracas
An opposition politician has gone on trial in Venezuela, accused of involvement in a siege of the Cuban embassy during a failed coup in 2002.
The charges against Henrique Capriles date back to when President Hugo Chavez was briefly ousted from power.
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The Cuban embassy is located inside Mr Capriles' municipality of Baruta, in the east of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
The allegations date from 12 April 2002, the day President Chavez was briefly removed from power in a coup.
A crowd of Venezuelans laid siege to the Cuban embassy, claiming that government ministers were hiding inside the building. The demonstrators cut off water and electricity supplies and damaged vehicles belonging to diplomatic staff.
Cuba's ambassador has told local media Mr Capriles should have used his authority as mayor but did nothing to protect his embassy.
The ambassador says the opposition mayor entered the premises to demand that the building be searched for any fugitive pro-Chavez officials. But Mr Capriles maintains he did everything he could to try to calm the angry protesters outside.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5097734.stm
