The Chancellor of the Republic, Jorge Arreaza, reported that the Ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Italy, the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom were summoned as a matter of urgency to deliver them strong protest notes, given the internal intrusions of the Ambassadors and their Governments in internal affairs, the functioning of democracy and the functioning of the Public Powers of Venezuela.
He noted that this acting of them constitutes “a violation of the Vienna Convention, specifically on Article 41, which states that there should be no interference in the internal affairs of the country where they are performing functions”, and added that this convention governs diplomatic relations in the civilized world.
Arreaza said that three of the aforementioned diplomatic representatives accompanied on Saturday to the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía to the opposition activist Lilian Tintori, who was trying to leave the country despite being subject to a judicial process for notorious, public, communicational events, which were admitted by the very indicted herself.
He recalled that in Tintori’s car were found Bs 200 million in cash, reason why a judicial investigation was initiated and a measure of prohibition of departing the country was extended. He denounced that Tintori had prepared a press conference knowing that they were not going to let her depart from Venezuela, during her statements she would be accompanied by the Ambassadors.
The head of Foreign Affairs recalled that last Saturday, the President of the Kingdom of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, was rude and disrespectful about the Venezuelan democracy, as did the Deputy Minister of the United Kingdom. He also criticized a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office denouncing that the Venezuelan Government did not allowed the departure from the country of Lilian Tintori, whom they identified as a “human rights activist”.
“She (Tintori) must appear before the Venezuelan justice system, and such expressions are absolutely impertinent and offensive towards the functioning of Venezuelan democracy and its institutions”, he said.
He added – due to the reiteration of the attitude of these representatives and Governments – that if the intention is to bring diplomatic relations to another level “Venezuela would never evade such responsibility and is ready to make the corresponding decision if they continue to offend its sovereignty, if they continue meddling on its domestic rights”.
Intromission of Chile and Argentina:
Arreaza also rejected the statements by the Chilean Chancellor, who stated that in Venezuela, a negotiated solution is each time far away, interfering in the internal affairs of the Venezuelan people and torpedoing the process of dialogue.
He criticized the pronouncement of the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, of going out in defense of Lilian Tintori.
“The countries of the world that want to collaborate with the Venezuelan democracy can do so by supporting the national dialogue and the help they can give to the meeting between the parties”, he assured.
