Leopoldo López, the leader of radical opposition Popular Will (El Movimiento Voluntad Popular), has taken a decision to hand himself over to government forces. What has made him do so?
Upon getting the news the arrest warrant was issued, he went in hiding, then tried to escape abroad. He changed his mind after the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (el Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional – SEBIN) made public a taped phone conversation.
Two men from a Miami-based ultra-right emigrant group discussed the plans to physically liquidate Lopez and then shift the blame on the government of Nicolas Maduro.
A number of terrorist groups were sent to Venezuela, they had accomplices in the ranks of Lopez’s team. The residence of US Central Intelligence Agency in Caracas knew about the terrorists’ plans. It never moved a finger to protect Lopez. He was doomed to face cold blooded and politically motivated action undertaken against him to serve the United States’ interests.
Conspirators hoped this «sacred sacrifice» would give an impetus to the process of the country’s destabilization and make people hit the streets. The assassination had to cement the leading position of Enrique Capriles, an old time rival of Lopez, among the opposition ranks.
Tensions run high in Venezuela. Lopez has created many problems for the ruling regime. At that, Diosdado Cabello Rondó, the President of the National Assembly (parliament), personally called the family of Lopez to give a warning about the imminent threat.
The wife of Lopez said in an interview with CNN that she had no doubt the recording was genuine. The Lopez family knew well the people involved in the bugged conversation. Lopez was personally accompanied by Diosdado Cabello on his way to the Palace of Justice. He was given guarantees that the investigation of the events on February 12 would be just and impartial.
The actions on the part of radical opposition leaders resulted in human loss of life, damage to administrative buildings and city’s infrastructure, including metro (underground). No doubt Lopez is guilty because it was him who called for «resolute actions». He is in high security prison now, the inquiry is underway.
Talking to PDVSA (Petroleum of Venezuela, the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company – Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.) employees, President Nicolas Maduro said that Venezuelan reactionaries, who get funds from Miami, planned to assassinate ultra-right politician Lopez, their own fellow traveler, and spark a civil war in the country.
Maduro remembered that the plotters have established a multi-million fund to provide for the activities of extremists, militants and murderers. Nevertheless, he said Leopoldo Lopez will be protected.
The President said his father and mother were against them (Bolivarians) but deep inside their hearts they realized that the authorities were saving their son’s life. Maduro said another group of US diplomats was expelled from the country, claiming they gave promises to grant preferential visas and used their consulate cover to infiltrate universities and incite further students’ unrest.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said the three were: second secretary, Breeann Marie McCusker, and Vice Consuls Jeffrey Gordon Elsen and Kristofer Lee Clark. The expulsion does not create any serious problems for US special services using embassy cover, the operatives strength exceeds 200.
Technically it is hard enough to keep them under the SEBIN surveillance. It’s not excluded that the number of diplomats will be limited to prevent subversive actions. No doubt such a step will decrease the intensiveness of the CIA and other hostile agencies operating in the country.
Venezuelan political scholars unanimously say the United States embassy in Caracas is the main coordinating center of large-scale anti-government plot. The strategic goal of Washington is to establish control over the Venezuela’s riches – its mineral resources.
The mission to be accomplished by conspirators is to shake the foundations of regime and smear its leadership, first of all President Nicolas Maduro, the successor of Hugo Chavez.
It’s is becoming more evident that Washington is pursuing the goal of sparking a bloody civil war in Venezuela which would serve as a pretext for direct military intervention of the Empire.
The springboards of the US armed forces Southern Command are already deployed along the Venezuelan border in Columbia, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean…
The 4th operational fleet regularly hones its capability to block the Venezuelan coastline and prevent any attempts of the ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty, Spanish – Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América – Tratado de los Comercios de los Pueblos) to lend a helping hand.
The economic war has been raging since the regime of Chavez came to power, it started to pick up steam during the Maduro’s tenure. The Venezueal media reports that huge piles of counterfeited goods from Venezuela, especially food and petrol, are daily confiscated at the border with Columbia, Gayana and Brazil. Entrepeneurs are dissatisfied with the government actions aimed at preventing the process to get out of hand.
So they hide everyday life goods. According to the so called Bolivarian people’s intelligence, there are secret caches of sugar, vegetable oil, milk powder etc. The commodities are immediately confiscated and sold through Mercal, a network of state-owned shops. As a result, the arsons are on the rise, they set of fire the «people’s» shops selling goods at low prices.
The government is opposed by Fedecámaras (the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Spanish: la Federación de Cámaras y Asociaciones de Comercio y Producción de Venezuela) composed of chambers of commerce in twelve basic trade groups: banking, agriculture, commerce, construction, energy, manufacturing, media, mining, ranching, insurance, transportation, and tourism.
They have their own TV channels and radio stations, newspapers and established internet-web portals. Up to 80% of media outlets belong to the opponents of the government. To no avail Chavez and Maduro tried to reach a compromise with their owners.
The anti-government slander campaign never stops. Time and again influential mass media outlets follow the CIA instructions. Maduro and Diosdado Cabello regularly come under attacks, even direct threats, as they are predicted to follow the fate of Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi.
The threats are tainted with fascist ideology; they are addressed to the families of Bolivarians, including children. This information terrorism is directed against all the politicians, who have fallen out of favor with the Empire, including the post-Soviet space. There is a question in Spanish often asked by internet users – what country will Maduro find safe haven in when toppled by the people’s uprising? The very same question is asked now about Ukrainian President Yanukovych.
The law enforcement agencies prevent many attempts to create hot beds using the «Maidan technology» and «relevant Ukrainian experience» of toppling the legal government. Specially trained groups of young people are used after they receive training in Miami, Costa-Rica, Panama and other countries. Scores of burnt cars and buses, roadblocks, barricades erected…
More and more often police reports tell about the crimes committed without any motivation, random shots fired at passers-by to incite public discontent because the government is unable to stop the criminals going on a rampage. Before this kind of tactics had been used by Mexico and Mexico drug cartels, now it is honed further by the US Central Intelligence Agency…
Finally, there is a coordination of activities aimed at overthrow of governments in Venezuela, Ukraine and Russia’s allies. Could it be an attempt to take revenge for the failure in Syria?
Nil NIKANDROV | Strategic Culture Foundation
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/02/25/us-agents-incite-civil-war-in-venezuela.html