Russia and China thwart Venezuela's "coup" in Venezuela

MOSCOW - Russia and China have foiled a draft UN Security Council declaration aimed at offering "full support" to the Venezuelan parliament led by opposition leader Juan Guido, who declared himself president on Wednesday.

The bill called for the Venezuelan parliament to return democracy and the rule of law, noting the illegality of the recent elections won by Nicolas Maduro and denouncing the use of force by the security forces against demonstrators.

The French news agency AFP quoted a diplomatic source as saying the draft was buried, while a Russian project requested a political dialogue in Venezuela, which Washington considered unacceptable.

During an emergency session of the Security Council, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro prisons were full of political prisoners, and it was time to support the people of Venezuela with the support of Juan Guido.

Referring to countries that rejected the declaration, including Russia and China, Pompeo said those who do not rule democracy in their country support Maduro.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, accused the United States of a "coup" in Venezuela and of wanting to overthrow President Maduro, adding that Washington was making vague arguments to interfere in state affairs, which is unacceptable.

He denied the right of the Security Council to discuss the situation in this country, and considered that the crisis in Venezuela "an internal matter."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Rabat that Washington's policy towards Venezuela was devastating, and that Moscow considered US public calls for the insurgency in Venezuela unacceptable.

On Wednesday, Guido declared himself president of Venezuela, and the United States and Canada hastened to recognize him and rejected Maduro's call for dialogue, calling it a call for formal dialogue.

"If I had to go and see this young man wearing a hat and a hat at the top of a mountain at 3 am, I would go," Maduro said at a previous news conference.

For its part, the European Union has affirmed its full support for Venezuela's National Assembly, saying it is the "only legitimate democratic body" and will recognize Venezuela's "new leadership" if new elections are not called within days.

International split
The crisis in Venezuela led to the division of the international community between countries that recognized Guido as its president, primarily the United States and more than a dozen countries in the region, and others that still recognize Maduro's presidency, including Russia, China, Turkey, Mexico and Bolivia.

Britain on Saturday joined other European Union states in setting an eight-day deadline for announcing new elections, warning that if not, London would recognize opposition leader Juan Guido as president.

Spain, France and Germany have set a similar deadline as international pressure mounts on the Venezuelan regime to agree to new elections.

For his part, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said his government is preparing for the possibility of armed conflict in the country, and said that a plan was developed for fighting and victory in every Venezuelan city, as he put it.

"There is a war against the Venezuelan government since former President Hugo Chávez in order to prevent the use of resources," Venezuela's ambassador to Ankara, Jose Braco Reyes, told a news conference. Natural land for the benefit of its people.