A Visit With Venezuela’s Interim President ‘ Juan Guaidó says in an interview.‘I personally don’t believe that Russia and China are on Maduro’s side,’ By Annika Hernroth-Rothstein
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-visit-with-venezuelas-interim-president-11549667894
Much of the Western world has recognized Juan Guaidó’s claim to be interim president of Venezuela, but the old president, Nicolás Maduro, seems determined to hold on to power. Does Mr. Guaidó hope for foreign intervention? “It’s important to remember that a dictator will not freely relinquish power after having hijacked the constitution and ruled with threats and promises,” he tells me in an interview in his office at the National Assembly. “Sometimes it is necessary to put enough pressure on him that he leaves. A military operation may be the most effective form of pressure, but it is not the form we hope for and believe in.”
He goes on to say that all options are on the table—echoing the public statements of President Trump and other U.S. officials—but insists he prefers a peaceful process that would enable fair elections and spare the Venezuelan people from costs of war. Anyhow, he says, Mr. Maduro is increasingly isolated.
Some countries—China, Russia, Turkey and Iran prominent among them—have continued to support Mr. Maduro, but Mr. Guaidó says he isn’t worried that Venezuela will become the focal point of a new cold war. “The support for the democratization of Venezuela and for our struggle has been enormous—completely unparalleled,” he says. “I personally don’t believe that Russia and China are on Maduro’s side—they are simply protecting their investments here in Venezuela. But slowly they are realizing that Maduro cannot offer them either stability nor guarantees. What the opposition stands for is stability, protection of Venezuela, and a fostering of democratic processes.”CONTINUE AT SITE
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