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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 2 May 2019
U.S. hopes for Venezuela change fizzle for 3rd time this year

By MATTHEW LEE and BEN would formally announce switched sides to any no-
FOX that they supported the table degree. The defense
Associated Press Venezuelan constitution, minister, Vladimir Padrino,
WASHINGTON (AP) — For implicitly backing the op- reaffirmed his support for
the third time this year, the position, said Elliott Abrams, the government early in
big moment in Venezuela the special U.S. envoy for the morning. By the end
has turned into a bust. Venezuela. of the day, Lopez and his
Trump administration of- He said the U.S. didn't family had sought refuge in
ficials had expected that know exactly when this the Chilean ambassador's
Wednesday might turn out would happen but figured residence and then the
to be the beginning of the it would coincide with big Embassy of Spain.
end for President Nicolas opposition rallies planned U.S. officials said Maduro
Maduro with senior govern- for Wednesday, May Day. would never be able to
ment figures withdrawing National security adviser John Bolton talks to reporters outside It was "widely understood," hang on without the sup-
support and the opposition the White House about Venezuela, Wednesday, May 1, 2019, in Abrams told reporters at port of Russia and Cuba,
launching a mass uprising Washington. the State Department, which they say has some
with military backing. Associated Press there would be huge May 20,000 military and intel-
Or at least that's what the Day marches and Guaido ligence personnel in the
administration had been required, that's what the achieve their mission in and his supporters hoped country.
led to believe. United States will do." January, when the U.S. for- they "would lead peaceful- Cuba angrily denied the
But the promised defec- It was another reality check mally recognized Guaido ly to the end of the Maduro allegations, saying the
tions didn't happen, the for an administration that and around 50 other na- regime." vast majority of its roughly
military uprising never ma- has thrown its support be- tions followed suit. Others Instead, U.S. officials were 20,000 people in Venezuela
terialized and Maduro still hind the opposition with thought it might end in Feb- caught off guard early are providing health care,
appeared to be firmly in a series of diplomatic and ruary, when the opposition Tuesday with the release of education and basic infra-
command of the South economic measures that, entered the country with a video featuring Guaido structure services. "To the
American nation. Trump so far at least, have failed trucks of U.S. aid to help the and Leopoldo Lopez, an allegations that Cuba has
officials were back to com- to achieve their goal of people of a once prosper- opposition leader who sud- troops in Venezuela, they
plaining about the support ousting Maduro. ous country where many denly appeared to have are totally and absolutely
Venezuela receives from The U.S. views Maduro's re- now go without food and been freed from house ar- false," Cuba's director-gen-
Cuba and Russia while issu- election last year as fraud- medicine amid a deep rest with the cooperation of eral of U.S. affairs, Carlos
ing vague warnings of mili- ulent and illegitimate and economic crisis. soldiers guarding him. They Fernández de Cossío, told
tary action. has recognized Juan Guai- This week, administration called for a mass uprising The Associated Press in an
"Military action is pos- do, the opposition head of officials were told the de- with the military, dubbed interview in Washington.
sible," Secretary of State the National Assembly, as fense minister, the presi- "Operation Freedom." "Cuba does not participate
Mike Pompeo said in an interim president. dent of the supreme court, But the security services in military operations or se-
interview on Fox Business Some in the administra- the head of the presi- that have backed Maduro curity operations in Ven-
Network. "If that's what's tion thought they would dential guard and others throughout the crisis never ezuela of any type."q