US secretary of state says leader ‘had airplane on tarmac’ to leave for Cuba but Russia convinced him to stay

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, “had an airplane on the tarmac” and was ready to leave for exile in Cuba when he was persuaded not to step down by Moscow, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has claimed.

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In a day when the struggle for power on the streets appeared to hang in the balance, and the US called on top members of the Maduro’s government to defect, Pompeo suggested that the opposition uprising had come close to succeeding.

“We’ve watched throughout the day, it’s been a long time since anyone’s seen Maduro,” Pompeo told CNN. “He had an airplane on the tarmac, he was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it, and the Russians indicated he should stay.”

“We think the situation remains incredibly fluid,” he added. “We know there were senior leaders inside the Maduro government that were prepared to leave.”

Pompeo said that Maduro’s plane was due to fly to Havana, but he was unclear on whether the US was offering safe passage to Havana.

“Mr Maduro understands what will happen if he gets on that airplane,” Pompeo said. Asked what that statement meant, he added: “He knows our expectations.”

While Pompeo put the blame on Moscow for stalling the transfer of power, Donald Trump made no mention of Russia when he tweeted on Tuesday evening, threatening Cuba.

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“If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba,” Trump said in a series of tweets. “Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!”

The Trump administration put its full backing behind the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, after he appeared in a dramatic morning video surrounded by soldiers the “final phase” of the bid to oust Maduro.

Trump and key US officials tweeted their support for Guaidó, while the national security adviser, John Bolton, appeared in the grounds of the White House to declare that the situation had reached a critical moment.

Bolton named three senior officials who he said had been negotiating with the opposition and accepted that the president had to be replaced.

Bolton called on the defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, head of the supreme court, Maikel Moreno, and the commander of the presidential guard, Iván Rafael Hernández Dala, to fulfill their “commitments” to defect.

He listed the names three times, in a gambit apparently designed to force their hand.

“We think it is still very important for key members in the regime who have been talking to the opposition over the last three months to make good on their commitments to achieve the peaceful transfer of power from the Maduro clique to interim president Juan Guiadó.

“All [three] agreed that Maduro had to go. They need to be able to act this afternoon or this evening to bring other military forces to the side of the interim president,” Bolton said. He said it was possible that Cuba may prevent the trio from acting.

Bolton also addressed a tweet to the three men, declaring: “Your time is up. This is your last chance. Accept interim president Guaidó’s amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship.”

To which the Venezuelan foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, replied: “Dream on [John Bolton] … Not today!”

Arreaza had earlier pointed to Bolton’s remarks as proof of US involvement in the uprising.

“The heads of the coup d’état admit their responsibility without scruples,” Arreaza said. “The Trump administration, in its despair, attempts to spark an internal conflict in Venezuela.”

China, Cuba and Russia remain key backers of Maduro. Russia recently confirmed it has sent nearly a hundred military advisers to Venezuela in recent months, infuriating Washington.

According to a source close to Venezuela’s opposition, Guaidó did not receive US planning support or resources for his move on Tuesday, which came after months of contacts with military officials, the source said.

But the opposition has nurtured links with Washington since well before Guaidó took the political center-stage in January – and such efforts took on a new impulse after Trump took office.

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The opposition push in Washington intensified last May, ahead of elections in Venezuela, when a plan was hatched to declare Maduro illegitimate before he would assume his second term in January.

A day before Guaidó formally declared himself Venezuela’s interim president on 22 January, Pence called him to promise the US backing.

The next day, Trump made it official, and Washington has proved an outspoken supporter for Guaidó.

But although senior US officials have repeatedly stated that “all options are on the table”, the Trump administration has so far taken little concrete action beyond further tightening economic sanctions.

Reuters news agency reported on Monday night that Erik Prince, a prominent and wealthy Trump supporter who runs a global private security business, has been lobbying for a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Maduro.

According to the report, Prince, the founder of the controversial security firm Blackwater, has been seeking investment and political support for an operation that would involve up to 5,000 mercenaries.