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WORLD NEWS Thursday 23 January 2020

Guaidó seeks EU sanctions for Venezuela, meeting with Trump

By ARITZ PARRA to remove the Venezue-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Venezu- lan president from power.
ela's opposition leader said Maduro controls key gov-
Wednesday that he wants ernment institutions, the Su-
the European Union to preme Court, the electoral
broaden sanctions against board and the military.
members of the Venezu- Despite the setbacks, in-
elan government as a cluding a failed call for a
way to push toward free military uprising last April,
presidential elections in the the Venezuelan opposition
country. has continued to increase
Speaking in Brussels during pressure on Maduro. This
a global tour that defied week, Guaidó's team is
a year-long travel ban at pushing hard to secure
home and sought allies' appearances with foreign
support to oust Venezuelan heads of government, like
President Nicolás Maduro, he did on Tuesday with Brit-
Juan Guaidó also told The ish Prime Minister Boris John-
Associated Press that he son.
is seeking a meeting with Spain's new, left-wing gov-
President Donald Trump in ernment has said that
Washington. Guaidó is welcome to visit
"We are making all efforts the country, which hosts a
to align as many agendas large community of Vene- Leader of Venezuela's political opposition Juan Guaido talks to journalists during a joint press
as possible," he said in an zuelans, but that he would conference with European Parliament members at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednes-
interview. "We don't rule it be received by the foreign day, Jan. 22, 2020.
out. We are looking for a minister, not Prime Minister Associated Press
space." Pedro Sánchez.
Guaidó just missed an op- That has been read as the dictatorship and the citi- Guaidó said the moment opposition said was taken
portunity to meet the U.S. influence that the anti-aus- zens who keep fighting for had arrived. by security forces.
president in Europe. Trump terity Podemos party wields their democracy and their "Dictatorships and dictators He said those "attacks"
was at the economic fo- in Sánchez's new coalition dignity," Guaidó said. "It's need to know that there were "unmasking the true
rum in the Swiss mountain cabinet. Podemos' founder important not to see this are sanctions, that there nature of the dictatorship"
resort of Davos on Tuesday Pablo Iglesias, now a depu- with an ideological bias, is a responsibility and that but that he was neverthe-
and Wednesday, where ty prime minister, once criti- but to understand clearly they can't laugh at the less committed to returning
the Venezuelan politician cized the Spanish govern- our demand for free elec- world," he said. to Venezuela.
has a scheduled appear- ment for backing Guaidó, tions." After his meeting with the "Without any doubt, I'm
ance on Thursday before saying that the Venezuelan The 36-year-old opposition EU's top diplomat, Josep going back," he answered
he continues what he opposition leader sought a leader also wants Europe Borrell, the European For- when asked whether he
called an "intense agenda" coup d'etat with U.S. inter- to ban the trading of Vene- eign Affairs Office issued a feared reprisals or deten-
that could also take him to vention and a "blood bath" zuelan gold mined from the statement saying that the tion. "I am the interim presi-
France and Spain. in the Latin American coun- country's southern jungles, bloc is committed "to sup- dent of Venezuela and we
A year ago, Trump's admin- try. what he calls "blood gold" port a genuine process to- are going to work from Ca-
istration rushed to throw its Asked about the influence responsible for damages ward a peaceful and dem- racas, despite the risk that it
support behind Guaidó, of Podemos in a coun- in the environment and lo- ocratic resolution of the cri- carries."q
the speaker of the oppo- try key in shaping the EU's cal communities. The metal sis, based on credible and
sition-controlled National Venezuelan policy, Guaidó has increasingly become a transparent presidential
Assembly, recognizing him said he trusted Sánchez's source of revenue there. and legislative elections."
as the country's legitimate "determination and love for And after the EU pledged Guaidó also lamented
president. the values of freedom, de- last year to stiffen the bloc's the raid of his Caracas of-
About 60 nations have also mocracy and the support sanctions against Venezu- fice on Tuesday night by
backed him, contend- that Venezuela and the re- elan individuals if the now Venezuela's powerful intel-
ing that Maduro's 2018 re- gion need." defunct talks hosted by ligence police unit, as well
election was invalid and "This is not a problem of Norway to reach a negoti- as the disappearance of Is-
marred by fraud. Guaidó, right or left. In Venezuela, ated solution to the coun- mael León, a deputy in the
however, has been unable the problem is about the try's 7-year-long crisis failed, National Assembly who the