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Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Venezuelan 'embassy' in US shuts doors after Guaido ouster

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 7 Jan 2023 13:11
4 Min Read

The former opposition leader was ousted as a result of peace talks between Maduro and leading opposition groups which are owed to recent deals struck with American oil companies. 

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  • Power has been cut at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington DC. May 09, 2019. (ODEPINK)
    Power has been cut at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington DC. May 09, 2019. (ODEPINK)

Venezuela's "embassy" in Washington DC announced it is shutting down following Juan Guaido's ouster as opposition leader. 

"We inform the Venezuelan community in the US, and the public in general, that the Venezuelan embassy in the US and all its officials formally ceased functions on Thursday, January 5, 2023," the mission said in a statement on Saturday. 

Venezuela was thrown into a political crisis in January 2019 when Juan Guaido, the former head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, backed by the US, declared himself "interim president" in an attempt to depose re-elected President Nicolas Maduro.

The US then recognized Guaido as interim president, with 50 other countries following suit.

Last month, the now-defunct opposition voted to dissolve the "interim government" of Guaido after Maduro confirmed that his government is ready to develop the process of  normalizing political and diplomatic relations with the US. 

"Total votes: 72 votes in favor, 29 votes against, eight abstained," Jose Antonio Figueredo, the secretary of Venezuela’s National Assembly, had stated.

Three of the four leading opposition groups then agreed to establish a commission made up of five members to manage the country's foreign assets.

Guaido's party, the Voluntad Popular, had tried to avert efforts to reunify the nation by suggesting they would simply replace Guaido instead of dissolving the "interim government".

The former opposition leader was deposed as a result of peace talks between Maduro and leading opposition groups, which were facilitated by recent agreements with American oil companies.

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Read more: US to keep coordinating with Guaido, claims Maduro is 'illegitimate'

On December 2, Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami and top representatives of state-run company PDVSA signed contracts with US oil firm Chevron Corp (CVX.N) with the aim of reviving the nation's oil output and expanding operations.

In a first, the US granted, a week prior, permission for Chevron to start pumping oil in Venezuela, a report by Reuters said. 

The report stated that US President Joe Biden authorized Chevron to sign a six-month license eyeing talks between the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition ahead of the elections.

In light of the recent decision adopted by OPEC+ to cut oil production, defying the White House's demands, it is likely that this move may be owed to energy security concerns. 

Contracts signed by Venezuela and US-based Chevron Corp. include the PDVSA-Chevron joint ventures Petroboscan and Petropiar, according to officials.

As a result, Petropiar and Petroboscan are authorized by the license to primarily produce and extract oil, as well as activities related to maintenance, repair, or service; sell, export, or import to the United States via Chevron; and purchase and import into Venezuela products associated with the foregoing, such as diluents, condensates, oil, or natural gas.

"This is an important step towards the right direction, but yet insufficient," said oil minister Tareck El Aissami after the signing ceremony. "We demand the lifting of punishing measures that have hit our industry," he added.

The US has been depleting its own strategic reserves to manage oil prices that were hit hard by US and EU sanctions against Russia and their failed attempt to pressure OPEC+ into increasing production.

Read more: As US looting of Syrian oil continues, Damascus turns to protect crops

  • Venezuela
  • Juan Guaido

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Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

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