Yesterday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued
a strongly worded press release, rejecting the news and saying:
"The difficulties, which were strictly administrative have
been overcome using diplomatic means in conversations between the two
Governments' no Venezuelan official accredited in front of the US Government has
been the subject of expulsion. The Venezuelan Government calls for prudence in
the handling and circulation of information of this nature"
And today we hear that the US
State Department ask officials at the Houston Consulate to leave the country
for violating administrative procedures for obtaining new offices. Reportedly,
Venezuela requested approval in August, but it was never received. Despite
this, the Consulate was moved and on October 2nd. The US Government requested
that the new Consulate cease operations until it received approval. Despite
this, the Consulate continued operating and on October 31st. the US
Government informed the Venezuelan Embassy in the US that it was planning to
remove privileges and immunities of the team and cancel their diplomatic visas.
By now, press reports differ as to whether the diplomats
were necessarily asked or not to leave the US, but their visas have definitely
been revoked.
And if you are not confused by now, today none other than
the wise one himself, the autocrat Hugo Chavez comes on and says that
it is all the Venezuela's Consul fault who changed the location of the
Consulate without authorization from US authorities or the Venezuelan Embassy
in the US and that the Consul has been removed from the post. He then blames
the whole affair on someone looking to generate confusion, noise, or conflicts
during the transition in the US. Then, the same Secretary of State that issued
the press release on Sunday says that he will evaluate what the State
Department said today and will talk to them tomorrow.
In closing, he says tomorrow he will have a clearer picture
of the situation.
Is it clear now?
They don't know what is going on, but we say things and it
is all just hearsay and a plot to boycott the great relations between Hugo Chavez
and Barack Obama or something like that.
In the words of the great Abbott and Costello (Will I ever get this one right?): Who is on first? In
this case, you could say: Who is on second or third?
But we know, iot is the same people who have ben running this Government for ten years. They are clueless.
