International

Guaidó expects to meet in Colombia with delegations at summit called by Petro

Photo: Reuters

April 24 |

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó announced that he arrived in Colombia where he will request to meet with the delegations that will participate in the International Conference on Venezuela convened by the president of that country, Gustavo Petro.

“I hope that the summit can ensure that the Maduro regime returns to the negotiating table in Mexico and a credible timetable for free and fair elections is agreed upon as a solution to the conflict,” Guaidó stated in a statement released on his Twitter account.

The opposition leader, who claimed to have crossed the border on foot, said he will hold meetings with the Venezuelan diaspora and stressed that his struggle seeks to make the “rights of Venezuelans count”.

“The struggle for the freedom of Venezuela demands to do it united, and goes through achieving the necessary guarantees for a primary that is respected and that is the unifying factor of the majority. For this struggle to work, we must ensure that the presidential election is really an opportunity for change and reunion for Venezuela”, the statement said.

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The Colombian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that because “only countries invited to this dialogue will participate”, Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva Duran did not invite Guaidó, “so his attendance at the conference is not counted on”.

“As has been publicly and repeatedly stated, the conference is a meeting space with part of the international community,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Guaidó, who until January was considered interim president after the 2015 Parliament voted to eliminate the interim government he presided over and leave in office a Council of Administration and Protection of Assets, assured that the government has raised threats against him in recent days and demanded the cessation of persecution against his family and the freedom of the nearly 300 politicians in Venezuela.

In 2019, after proclaiming himself interim president of Venezuela, at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice prohibited Guaidó from leaving the country.

However, on several occasions he has defied the measure against him and has left the country. Guaidó has participated in two international tours that have taken him to the US, Colombia and several countries in Europe.

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Over the weekend, a delegation of the Unitary Platform of the opposition met with Petro and said they hoped that from the initiative in Bogota would emerge an “exhortation” for the return to negotiations with the government in Mexico.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.