Latin America - U.S. Orders Expulsion of 3 Venezuelan Diplomats

• U.S. Orders 3 Venezuelan Diplomats Expelled

  After the U.S. ordered the expulsion of three Venezuelan diplomats, the South American country proposed a new ambassador to Washington.
  
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    Venezuela Proposes Sending a New Ambassador to Washington

    
    
    By

    Santiago Pérez and

    Kejal Vyas
    Feb. 25, 2014 6:05 p.m. ET
    The death toll's rising in Venezuela, as protesters vow to continue demonstrating against President Nicolas Maduro. Why are students and others risking their lives? What went wrong with Venezuela's economy? How did it become the crime capital of Latin America? WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer. Animation from Next Media.
    CARACAS—The U.S. government ordered the expulsion of three Venezuelan diplomats Tuesday in retaliation for President Nicolás Maduro's decision to kick out three U.S. consular officials last week amid rising social unrest in the South American nation.  
    A State Department spokeswoman said that three officials working at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C. have been given 48 hours to leave the U.S.  
    Venezuela last week ordered the exit of three U.S. Foreign Service officials who it accused of recruiting university students to spread unrest, allegations that the State Department said were baseless. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week he was "watching with increasing concern the situation in Venezuela." 
    Student protests, initially to demonstrate against rampant crime, have rocked the oil-rich South American country over the past three weeks. As demonstrations spread, violence flared, leaving more than a dozen people dead, while around 150 have been injured in clashes between activists and the National Guard, according to Venezuela's attorney general. More than 500 people have been arrested. 
    But while Venezuela's government has blamed the U.S. for the latest wave of unrest, it has also stated that it wants to reestablish diplomatic ties. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Elías Jaua said that his government will propose Maximilien Arvelaiz as Venezuela's new ambassador to Washington. The two countries haven't exchanged ambassadors since 2010. 
    A close adviser of Mr. Maduro, French-born Mr. Arvelaiz is often seen at the president's side during public events and has previously served as the country's envoy to Brazil. The proposal would still need to be approved by the U.S. 
    "It's hard to make sense of it," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society. "They are trying to show a different face by saying 'We're not really that bad. Let's exchange ambassadors.'" 
    State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the U.S. has expressed readiness to improve bilateral relations, which would include an exchange of ambassadors. "But Venezuela also needs to show seriousness for us to be able to move forward, and recent actions, including expelling three of our diplomats, continue to make that difficult," Ms Psaki added.  
    The three Venezuelan diplomats being expelled are Ignacio Luis Cajal Avalos, Victor Manuel Pisani Azpurua and Marcos Jose Garcia Figueredo. The diplomats couldn't immediately be reached for comment. A spokeswoman at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington declined to comment. 
    The reciprocal expulsions underscore the frosty relations that have existed between the two countries since the late leader Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela in the late 1990s and began what he called a Socialist revolution. Mr. Maduro, who was elected president last year by a razor-thin margin following Mr. Chavez´s death from cancer, has maintained the ideological hostility toward the U.S. 
    White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that Mr. Maduro needs to focus on addressing the legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan people through meaningful dialogue with them. 
    "Despite what the Venezuelan government would like to lead people to believe, this is not a U.S.- Venezuela issue. It is an issue between Venezuela and its people,"Mr. Carney added.
    Write to Kejal Vyas at kejal.vyas@wsj.com 
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