No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveU.S. rejects Venezuelan conspiracy claims

U.S. rejects Venezuelan conspiracy claims

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States on Tuesday rejected Venezuela’s allegations of a conspiracy, saying it was “absurd” to assert Washington was somehow behind President Hugo Chávez’s cancer.

“We completely reject the Venezuelan government’s claim that the United States is involved in any type of conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuelan government,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement.

Issuing statements before Chavez’s death was announced, the Pentagon confirmed the expulsion of two Air Force officers from the U.S. embassy in Caracas while the State Department condemned allegations of a plot to undermine Venezuela.

“An assertion that the United States was somehow involved in causing President Chavez’s illness is absurd, and we definitively reject it,” he said.

Despite deep differences between the two governments, the U.S. had sought a more productive relationship, he said, but the “fallacious assertion” against Washington showed Caracas was “not interested in an improved relationship.”

He added that the U.S. had the option of taking retaliatory actions against Venezuelan diplomats under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

The expulsions were announced after Vice President Nicolás Maduro had accused the country’s “historic enemies” of causing Chavez’s cancer.

Maduro alleged the expelled U.S. military officers had been seeking out active Venezuelan military officials to obtain information about the armed forces and propose “destabilization projects.”

The Pentagon identified the two expelled Air Force officers as David Delmonaco and Devlin Kostal.

Hugo Chávez dies of cancer at 58

Was Hugo Chávez a good leader for Venezuela?



Trending Now

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Retired Nicaraguan Army Captain Sentenced to 50 Years for Treason

A retired military officer was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Nicaragua for the crime of "treason against the homeland," his family denounced...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica