Leopoldo López
MADRID/CARACAS, May 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain has said it will not allow Venezuelan authorities to enter its embassy in Caracas and arrest a leading opposition figure, Leopoldo López.
López sought refuge there on Tuesday after appearing with opposition leader Juan Guaidó to call for a rebellion to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
Both President Maduro and Guaidó claim they have the support of the armed forces and have been staging rival rallies in the capital.
In January, Guaidó declared himself Venezuela’s interim leader and he has the support of more than 50 countries including the US, UK and most Latin America nations.
But Maduro – who is backed by Russia and China – has refused to cede power.
In a statement in MADRID, the Spanish foreign ministry said that under no circumstance would it force López to leave the embassy building.
Spain’s government also said that López and his family had sought safety in their embassy but had not claimed political asylum.
Speaking from the diplomatic mission in CARACAS, López said he had met senior Venezuelan military officers before Tuesday’s events.
“The fissure that opened on 30 April will become a crack and that crack is what is going to break the levee,” he said.
López had been under house arrest but said he was released on Tuesday by security agents backing the opposition.
A Venezuelan court has issued an arrest warrant for López for violating house arrest. It says López should serve the rest of his 13-year sentence in prison.
He was arrested in 2014 and accused of fuelling violent protests that left dozens of people dead that year.
Meanwhile, footage shared on social media on Thursday appeared to show the Spanish embassy being surrounded by the Venezuelan military.
Tensions are rising between the US and Russia over the crisis.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the US may take military action to resolve the crisis, and accused Russia and Cuba of destabilising the country through their support for Maduro.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Pompeo that America’s influence over Venezuela is destructive and a violation of international law.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has appealed for both sides in Venezuela to avoid violence, while the EU has called for “utmost restraint to avoid the loss of lives and an escalation in tensions”. — NNN-AGENCIES
