Obama decries 'false accusations'
Major social and economic problems in Venezuela have fueled the protests. But as the demonstrations gained steam, officials have pointed fingers at other factors, accusing the United States of plotting to destabilize the government.
Venezuela expelled three U.S. diplomats this week, accusing them of conspiring to bring down the government. At a rally Tuesday, Maduro shouted, "Yankee, go home" from the stage, drawing cheers from the crowd.
U.S. President Barack Obama fired back at a news conference in Mexico on Wednesday.
"Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from its own failings by making up false accusations against diplomats from the United States, the government ought to focus on addressing the legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan people," he told reporters.
In a television broadcast Wednesday, Maduro accused Colombian paramilitary forces and the United States of fueling the violence, and he vowed to stand firm against any attempts to overthrow his government.
"And what is the Venezuelan opposition going to do?" he said. "Believe that with the support of (U.S. Secretary of State) John Kerry or Obama, you are going to be able to take political power by violent means?"
This isn't the first time that bitter protests and counterprotests by supporters and opponents of the government have threatened political stability in Venezuela over the past decade.
Many of Maduro's claims -- of U.S. intervention, of assassination plots -- were also lobbed by the late President Hugo Chavez. Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup in 2002, but otherwise outlasted the protests and repeatedly won reelection. He ruled for 14 years, until his death last year after a long battle with cancer.
Obama decries 'false accusations'
Major social and economic problems in Venezuela have fueled the protests. But as the demonstrations gained steam, officials have pointed fingers at other factors, accusing the United States of plotting to destabilize the government.
Venezuela expelled three U.S. diplomats this week, accusing them of conspiring to bring down the government. At a rally Tuesday, Maduro shouted, "Yankee, go home" from the stage, drawing cheers from the crowd.
U.S. President Barack Obama fired back at a news conference in Mexico on Wednesday.
"Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from its own failings by making up false accusations against diplomats from the United States, the government ought to focus on addressing the legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan people," he told reporters.
In a television broadcast Wednesday, Maduro accused Colombian paramilitary forces and the United States of fueling the violence, and he vowed to stand firm against any attempts to overthrow his government.
"And what is the Venezuelan opposition going to do?" he said. "Believe that with the support of (U.S. Secretary of State) John Kerry or Obama, you are going to be able to take political power by violent means?"
This isn't the first time that bitter protests and counterprotests by supporters and opponents of the government have threatened political stability in Venezuela over the past decade.
Many of Maduro's claims -- of U.S. intervention, of assassination plots -- were also lobbed by the late President Hugo Chavez. Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup in 2002, but otherwise outlasted the protests and repeatedly won reelection. He ruled for 14 years, until his death last year after a long battle with cancer.
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