Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 13 March 2019
US pulling last diplomats from Venezuela amid power crisis

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ blamed the blackouts on
SCOTT SMITH government corruption
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) and mismanagement.
— The U.S. said late Mon- Winston Cabas, the head
day that it is pulling its last of Venezuela's electrical
remaining diplomats from engineers union, which
Venezuela, saying their opposes the government,
continued presence at disputed government alle-
the country's embassy in gations that the country's
Caracas had become a main hydroelectric dam
"constraint" on U.S. policy was sabotaged last week.
as the Trump administration He blamed a lack of main-
aggressively looks to oust tenance as well as the de-
socialist President Nicolas parture of skilled workers
Maduro. from the troubled country
The announcement came over the years.
from Secretary of State Mike "The system is vulnerable,
Pompeo in a tweet shortly fragile and unstable," he
before midnight comes said.
as Venezuela struggles to Spain's airline pilots union
restore electricity follow- asked for Spanish airline
ing four days of blackouts Air Europa to stop flying
around the country. People collect water falling from a leaking pipeline along the banks of the Guaire River during to Venezuela after one of
The U.S. has led an inter- rolling blackouts, which affects access to running water in people's homes, offices and stores, in its crews was attacked at
national effort to replace Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, March 11, 2019. gunpoint in Caracas. The
Maduro with opposition Associated Press Sepla union said two pilots
leader Juan Guaido, who and eight more crew mem-
vows to hold a new presi- started surgery but then congress, and the United vantage of the power cuts, bers of a flight from Madrid
dential election. Guaido is suspended the operation States say Maduro's claims Mayor Willy Casanova told were assaulted on Satur-
backed by some 50 coun- when nationwide power that the U.S. sabotaged local media. However, nu- day while going from the
tries, while Maduro main- outages first hit on Thurs- the power grid with a "cy- merous videos posted on airport to their hotel in the
tains support from countries day, said the girl's fearful berattack" are an attempt social media that purport- Venezuelan capital. None
such as China, Russia and mother, who only gave her to divert attention from the ed to be from Maracaibo of the crew members was
Cuba. first name, Yalimar. government's own failings. showed crowds roaming injured.
Maduro ordered all U.S. dip- "The doctors told me that There have been acts of the streets and people Air Europa responded by
lomats to leave Venezuela there are no miracles," said kindness during Venezu- running from looted, dam- ordering the crews of flights
in late January because of Yalimar, who hopes her ela's crisis: People whose aged buildings with no po- to Venezuela to not spend
its support for Guaido, but daughter can be trans- food would rot in refrigera- lice in sight. the night in the country, ac-
he later retreated and al- ferred Tuesday to one of tors without power donat- In Caracas, some people cording to the union.
lowed them to stay. The the few hospitals in Ven- ed it to a restaurant, which reported more sightings The administration of U.S.
U.S. still withdrew the bulk of ezuela that would be able cooked it for distribution to of "colectivos," a term for President Donald Trump
embassy personnel, leav- to finish the complex pro- charities and hospitals. armed groups allegedly imposed sanctions on a
ing a skeletal staff led by cedure. The blackouts also have hit operating on behalf of the Moscow-based bank joint-
career foreign service offi- The girl's story highlight- the oil industry. The country state to intimidate oppo- ly owned by Russian and
cer James Story. ed an unfolding horror in hasn't shipped $358 mil- nents. Venezuelan state-owned
Pompeo said the remain- Venezuela, where years lion in oil since the power The mood in Caracas was companies, alleging it tried
ing diplomats would be out of hardship got abruptly failures started, and "the desperate. to circumvent U.S. sanc-
of Venezuela by the end of worse after the power grid whole system is grinding to Marian Morales, a nurse tions on the South Ameri-
the week but gave no indi- collapsed. On Monday, a halt," said Russ Dallen, a working for a Catholic can country. The U.S. said
cation of future policy steps schools and businesses Miami-based partner at the youth group, and several it is targeting Evrofinance
despite past warnings that were closed, long lines brokerage firm Caracas colleagues handed out Mosnarbank for supporting
"all options" — including the of cars waited at the few Capital Markets. diapers and food from a Petroleos de Venezuela SA,
use of military force — are gasoline stations with elec- Two large tankers are sit- car parked near a hospital. the state oil company pre-
on the table for removing tricity and hospitals cared ting empty at the Jose off- Police and men in civilian viously targeted by sanc-
Maduro. for many patients without shore oil-loading dock, and clothing ordered them to tions in January.
The move came after an- power. Generators have at least 19 other ships are leave, saying they didn't Evrofinance said it was
other day of chaos as alleviated conditions for waiting their turns there, have permission. carrying out its activities
power outages that began some of the critically ill. Dallen said. Morales said the needy are normally despite the an-
Thursday evening contin- President Nicolas Maduro Engineers have restored cautious about approach- nouncement and pledged
ued to cause problems for said on national television power in some parts of ing to collect the handouts to "meet its obligations to
Venezuelans, leaving them Monday night that progress Venezuela, but it often because of the presence the clients and partners in
with little power, water and had been made in restor- goes out again. There have of security forces. full."
communications. ing power in Venezuela. been a few protests in Ca- Early Monday, an explosion The U.S. and the other gov-
People converged on a He also said two people racas and reports of simi- rocked a power station in ernments that recognize
polluted river to fill water who were allegedly try- lar anti-government anger the Baruta area of Cara- Guaido as Venezuela's in-
bottles in Caracas, and ing to sabotage power fa- elsewhere. Guaido tweet- cas. Residents gathered to terim president say Mad-
scattered protests erupted cilities were captured and ed about reports of looting look at the charred, smol- uro wasn't legitimately re-
in several cities were providing information in some cities, but details dering equipment. elected last year because
A 3-year-old girl with a to authorities, though he were difficult to confirm. Guaido said three of four opposition candidates
brain tumor languished in gave no details. Security forces in the city electricity transformers weren't permitted to run.
a Caracas hospital, await- Guaido, who heads the of Maracaibo dispersed servicing the area were Maduro says he is the tar-
ing treatment after doctors opposition-controlled "criminals" trying to take ad- knocked out. He has get of a U.S. coup plot.q