• Controversy: Ábalos went to the Venezuelan plane after demanding the 'number two' of Maduro
  • Consequences: The political raid with Venezuela reveals tensions in the Government

The Minister of Transportation and Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, José Luis Ábalos , has tried to explain this Sunday that he did not have "a meeting" at the Barajas airport with the Vice President of Venezuela and number two of Nicolás Maduro , Delcy Rodríguez . As he said, he had "an encounter that really was a greeting." This "greeting", as he specified, lasted "20 or 25 minutes."

In an interview in the program of La Sexta El Objective , Ábalos has flatly refused to have negotiated anything with the Chavista leader, who is banned from entering the EU, and not even made a mistake or seen her in secret. Unlike. "Not only have I not done wrong, but I have done a service to this country," said the minister, who says he has not considered resigning.

The "service" to Spain would have consisted precisely in preventing Delcy Rodríguez from entering Spain. According to the version of Ábalos this Sunday, he went to the airport to "receive" the Venezuelan Minister of Tourism - of whom he claims to be a friend - who is not prohibited from entering the EU and who came to Madrid for the Tourism Fair of this week, Fitur. He went to Barajas with a private car, which has clarified that it was not his, and when he was on his way he was notified by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska of the presence of the Venezuelan Vice President on the plane. Once at the airport, Ábalos would have simply reminded the Chavista leader that he could not enter Spain.

On the issue of whether Delcy Rodríguez got down or not on the Falcon plane in which he was traveling, Ábalos has come to confirm that he did, although making it clear that after his departure it was the Police who were responsible for guarding it. The minister has said that "she did not intend to enter Spain" and that she did not, because "the Spanish territory is when the passport control is crossed". This circumstance has been discussed these days and there is jurisprudence that states that airport transit areas are also considered the territory of the country in which they are located.

"We have not breached any decision of the EU," said Ábalos, who has also denied tensions in the Government or the PSOE.

The controversy over her meeting with the Venezuelan vice president has coincided with the government's move to Juan Guaidó during the visit of the president in charge of Venezuela to Madrid this Saturday.

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  • Spain
  • Venezuela
  • Madrid
  • PSOE
  • Nicolás Maduro
  • Juan Guaidó
  • José Luis Ábalos
  • Fernando Grande-Marlaska

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