With Chavez Ailing, Venezuela Expels U.S. Diplomat

[sailingaway]

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's vice president, Nicolas Maduro, says the government of President Hugo Chavez plans to expel a U.S. Embassy official for meeting with military officers and planning to destabilize the country.

Maduro identified the American as the Air Force attache and said he had been spying on the military.

He said the official has 24 hours to leave the country.

Embassy spokesman Greg Adams identified the attache as David Delmonaco.

Adams had no immediate comment.

"I'm sure we will be formulating some sort of response from Washington," he said.

He said he did not immediately know Delmonaco's rank.

Maduro spoke hours after the government said Chavez was in "very delicate" health after undergoing cancer surgery in December.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/03/05/world/americas/ap-venezuela-chavez.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=2&

[Zippyjuan]

Likely US responce would be to expell a person from the Venezuelan embassay here. But they still need us. We are one of their big paying customers for their oil (which supports the government there) and we refine most of their gasoline (their oil is high in sulfur and requires lots of processing which they have limited capacity to do themselves). They won't sever relations with the US completely. What changes would the death of Chavez mean to Venezuela?

[Zippyjuan]

What changes would the death of Chavez mean to Venezuela?
Wow. His death was announced later the same day. One of the first reactions of people there was to run out to food stores to stock up. Perhaps afraid of the end of subsidised food prices?

The expelled embassy personnel allegedly caused Chavez's cancer.
http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelan-state-tv-accuses-us-embassy-officer-of-plotting-against-government-2013-3


CHAVEZ ON THE BRINK: Venezuela Blames Cancer On Foreign Plot, Expels US Attaché

Adam Taylor|Mar. 5, 2013, 1:11 PM|8,309|34

Venezuelan state TV just gave what was billed as an update on President Hugo Chavez's health.

In the address, Vice President Nicolás Maduro assured the country that Chavez was still alive, but was facing serious complications in his battle against cancer.

However, much of the statement focused on a U.S.-led conspiracy against the country.

Maduro says that the government had discovered that an officer of the U.S. Embassy was acting against Venezuela's military, getting in touch with officers and proposing a plan to destabilize the country.

The man is reportedly an Air Force attaché named "David del Monaco," and he has been given 24 hours to get out of the country. Maduro says that "special measures" will be taken to avoid right wing conspiracies.

It's worth noting that the Venezuelan government accused the U.S. of a similar plot in 2008, and expelled then-Ambassador Patrick Duddy. The vice president has also previously told the press that he has been the subject of an assassination plot.

Maduro also used the address to say Chavez's enemies had hurt his health with lies and rumors, comparing it to the death of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader who some believe was poisoned.

Maduro says that a "scientific commission" will eventually find proof that Chavez's illness was caused by poison.

According to CNN, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas announced Chavez was battling a new infection on Monday.

"There is a worsening of the respiratory function, related to the state of his depressed immune system," Villegas said on state-run VTV.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelan-state-tv-accuses-us-embassy-officer-of-plotting-against-government-2013-3#ixzz2Mn6EFOYr