Argentina Pressuring Venezuela Over Opposition Leaders Hiding in Argentine Embassy; Venezuela Refuses

Argentina has been ramping up the pressure on Venezuela to grant safe passage to six Venezuelan opposition leaders tied to former candidate Maria Corina Machado who are hiding in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas.

These opposition figures are aides to Maria Corina Machado, who was the previous united opposition coalition's candidate to run against dictator Nicolas Maduro but was forced to withdraw after the Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld her disqualification. They fled to the Argentinian Embassy in the capital to escape political persecution from the Maduro regime.

Senior Argentinian sources from the government of right-wing President Javier Milei, who is feuding with Maduro, have confirmed that Argentina has been pressuring Venezuela to grant safe passage for these opposition officials. However, they told Reuters that Venezuela has not done so.

"Venezuela is not issuing safe-conduct passes, it is not complying with what was agreed upon or with the (1954) Convention on Diplomatic Asylum", one of the Argentine sources told the outlet. Reuters noted that they worked for Argentina's foreign ministry.

"In the official Argentine residence in Caracas is the entire Machado campaign office, who are politically persecuted," added the Argentine official. "They have to leave Caracas because their physical integrity is in danger."

"It is likely that other countries will soon begin to speak out asking for a resolution of this issue," the other Argentine source also stated, while the other stressed, "Venezuela must grant safe-conduct passes without conditions so that the six asylum seekers can leave the residence."

Venezuela Rejected Argentina's Request for Safe Passage for Venezuelan Opposition Members

Despite the Argentine pressure, Nicolas Maduro's regime flatly rejected its South American neighbor's request for safe passage for the opposition leaders, with the Milei administration saying that Venezuelan Foreign Ministry officials continued to reject diplomatic presentations from Argentina.

"The Maduro regime continues to systematically violate human rights in Venezuela by illegally maintaining the arrest warrant for these six opposition members," opposition member David Smolansky, who was exiled to the US, told infobae.

Meanwhile, Argentina has vowed to launch a formal complaint against Venezuela with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), according to Argentina Minister Diana Mondino.

Argentina Gets Praise From IMF Over Javier Milei's Austerity Measures

Meanwhile, as Argentina deals with Venezuela, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released more loans for Argentina under its bailout program. It then endorsed Milei's austerity measures that many back in Argentina have been protesting against as it made inflation worse and prices more expensive.

According to the Associated Press, this deal with the IMF follows the completion of its review of Argentina's compliance record. This new deal also confirms the next $792 million payment will become available to the government in June, which would reassure markets and boost confidence among bankers regarding the Argentina economic crisis.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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