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A12   WORLD NEWS
                    Tuesday 19 March 2019
            Colombia: 1,000 Venezuelan forces crossed border since Feb.



            By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA                                                                                              though she did not provide
            Associated Press                                                                                                    details.  Some  past  reshuf-
            CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)                                                                                             fles have entailed rotations
            —  About  1,000  members                                                                                            of  ministers  rather  than  a
            of the Venezuelan security                                                                                          major  overhaul  of  leader-
            forces have fled to Colom-                                                                                          ship.
            bia since last month, giving                                                                                        Key Cabinet figures include
            up  weapons  and  uniforms                                                                                          Rodriguez, a former foreign
            as  they  abandoned  the                                                                                            minister;  Information  Minis-
            government of Venezuelan                                                                                            ter Jorge Rodriguez, broth-
            President  Nicolas  Maduro,                                                                                         er  of  the  vice  president;
            Colombian authorities said                                                                                          and Defense Minister Vladi-
            Monday.                                                                                                             mir  Padrino  Lopez,  a  mili-
            Colombia’s  foreign  minis-                                                                                         tary  general.  All  face  U.S.
            try  released  the  updated                                                                                         sanctions  for  alleged  cor-
            number of Venezuelan po-                                                                                            ruption  and  human  rights
            lice  and  military  personnel                                                                                      violations.
            who  crossed  the  border,                                                                                          Guaido on Monday scoffed
            many around the time of a                                                                                           at  the  report  of  Cabinet
            Feb.  23  attempt  by  oppo-                                                                                        changes,  telling  journalists
            sition  leader  Juan  Guaido                                                                                        that  it  merely  reflects  how
            to  deliver  U.S.-provided                                                                                          the government is weaken-
            humanitarian  aid  to  Ven-                                                                                         ing and “without answers.”
            ezuela.  The  attempt  failed                                                                                       He again said that the na-
            because  Venezuelan  forc-                                                                                          tionwide  power  outages
            es  blocked  trucks  trying  to   Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, center right, who has declared himself interim presi-  were  the  result  of  govern-
            cross  from  Colombia  into   dent, poses for a photo with members of a coalition of opposition parties, and other civic groups   ment  corruption  and  mis-
            Venezuela.                   after their meeting in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, March 18, 2019.                     management  and  not,  as
            The  deserters  have  re-                                                                          Associated Press  Maduro claimed, an act of
            ceived    lodging,   health  Jean  Marchena  Castillo,  ing  pro-Maduro  politician,  whose population is endur-    sabotage  directed  by  the
            care  and  legal  aid,  and  an  army  captain,  told  lo-  said in Caracas on Monday  ing  hyperinflation  and  a  United States.
            were  accompanied  by  cal media that pro-Maduro  that the security forces who  scarcity  of  medicine  and  U.S.  and  Russian  officials,
            some  400  family  mem-      forces  were  threatening  fled to Colombia had been  other necessities.               meanwhile,  were  meeting
            bers,  Colombian  officials  relatives  of  some  of  those  offered bribes to do so. De-  More than 3 million Venezu-  in  Rome  this  week  to  dis-
            said. Colombia, the United  who fled Venezuela. Some  serters  strongly  deny  such  elans have fled the country  cuss the crisis in Venezuela.
            States  and  about  50  other  deserters say their small mil-  allegations.            in recent years, about one-  Elliott Abrams, the U.S. spe-
            countries support Guaido’s  itary salaries were the only  Despite   the   desertions,  third of them finding refuge  cial  envoy  for  Venezuela,
            claim that he is the interim  source  of  income  for  their  Maduro  has  retained  the  in Colombia.              was  to  hold  talks  with  Rus-
            president   of   Venezuela  families.                     support of Venezuela’s key  Nearly  a  week  after  Ven-  sian  Deputy  Foreign  Min-
            and  that  Maduro  is  illegiti-  Humberto  Calderon  Berti,  military  leaders,  who  are  ezuela’s  worst  blackouts  ister  Sergei  Ryabkov  on
            mate  because  his  re-elec-  Guaido’s  representative  in  considered  pivotal  in  de-  inflicted   more   hardship  Monday  and  Tuesday,  the
            tion  last  year  was  marred  Colombia, said he plans to  termining  the  outcome  of  across the country, Maduro  U.S. State Department said.
            by irregularities.           work  with  Colombian  au-   the  country’s  power  strug-  was  said  to  be  planning  Ryabkov said in comments
            The welfare of the Venezu-   thorities to provide training  gle.  Maduro  alleges  that  a  Cabinet  reshuffle.  Vice  carried  by  Russian  media
            elan  deserters,  and  their  and employment opportu-     Guaido is a collaborator in  President  Delcy  Rodriguez  that, “We will do everything
            families  back  home,  is  a  nities to the men.          a U.S. plot to overthrow the  made    the   announce-     to protect our cooperation
            growing concern.             Diosdado Cabello, a lead-    government  in  Venezuela,  ment on Twitter on Sunday,  with Caracas.”q

            Nicaragua talks on hold as both sides trade accusations


            By GABRIELA SELSER                                                                     part of the march, which it  work to do,” he said.
            Associated Press                                                                       labeled  a  “provocation.”  The  Vatican’s  ambassa-
            MANAGUA,        Nicaragua                                                              Protests  against  President  dor  to  Nicaragua,  Walde-
            (AP)  —  Nicaragua’s  gov-                                                             Daniel  Ortega’s  govern-    mar  Sommertag,  who  has
            ernment  and  opposition                                                               ment have been effective-    mediated  the  talks,  asked
            accused each other of un-                                                              ly  banned  since  Septem-   for  patience  Monday.  Re-
            dermining  the  latest  round                                                          ber.                         sponding  to  criticism  that
            of  political  dialogue  Mon-                                                          The  government  said  op-   he  seemed  to  be  siding
            day,  after  police  arrested                                                          position  negotiators’  par-  with the government, Som-
            more than 100 at a week-                                                               ticipating   in   Saturday’s  mertag said he had no per-
            end protest.                                                                           protest  was  “inconceiv-    sonal interest and was giv-
            The  opposition  Civic  Alli-                                                          able,  contradictory  and  ing  his  all  to  brokering  the
            ance condemned the gov-                                                                unbelievable.” It said there  talks.
            ernment’s  “violent  repres-                                                           were  107  arrests  and  the  Luis  Rosadilla,  representa-
            sion”  of  Saturday’s  march,                                                          detainees  were  released  tive of the Organization of
            in  which  it  said  some  164   Demonstrators  chant  during  a  protest  demanding  the   hours  later.  Mario  Arana,  American States, called on
            people    were    arrested.   government  release  hundreds  of  protesters  held  in  custody   an economist participating  those  involved  to  build  a
            The  group  said  in  a  state-  since 2018, in Managua, Nicaragua, Saturday, March 16, 2019.  in  the  dialogue  as  a  rep-  good  atmosphere  for  dia-
            ment that it was frustrated                                           Associated Press  resentative  of  the  private  logue.  “The  government
            that the talks had not pro-  people it considers political  plained  that  opposition  sector,  said  the  talks  were  must show the political will
            duced  results,  including  prisoners.                    representatives  participat-  suspended for the time be-  to overcome the crisis,” he
            the release of hundreds of  The     government    com-    ing in the negotiations were  ing.  “The  mediators  have  said.q
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