tv DW News Deutsche Welle April 30, 2019 9:00pm-9:30pm CEST
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this is. from berlin tonight violence in venezuela who controls the military who controls the country and exclusive declared president one tells us that the army and the people support his embattled president nicolas maduro national guard defectors are joining the protesters and the united states says it backs this. political. say they back president. insisting tonight that the army
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chiefs remain loyal to him government forces are clashing with protesters and the authorities an. attempted coup is being defeat. it's good to have you with us we begin with the situation in venezuela tonight violent clashes have erupted on the streets of the capital caracas as venezuelans opposition leader and self declared president urges the army to help him topple nicolas maduro now this footage that you're about to see shows an armored government vehicle headlong into a crowd of demonstrators outside a military base in the city the protesters were. called to take to the streets to oust president maduro. said earlier that these. secured the backing of military
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leaders but his valid to stop what he calls a military coup saying he has the total loyalty of his military command it's. a fluid situation this hour and in a d w exclusive we asked one white oh how much backing he really has from venezuela's military. he went over there are some key elements in this process and they are that the armed forces are not with nicholas matilda and they have to change and to such now with the people and the constitution venezuela is in a state of occupation of course there has been a lot of persecution within the armed forces even some carried out by the cuban intelligence and counterintelligence services but it's clear that not only the people the majority of the people not only the international community do not support nicholas matilda but also the armed forces of our country and you cannot know what they were there was one why they are there talking with us earlier let's take this story now to our correspondent oscar slinger he joins me now on the line
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from the village where the capital caracas good evening to you. we know that one go i do has once more urged venezuelan troops to unite against madeira do we know though right now at this hour how is the support within the military for guardia. that is unpredictable it's very difficult to say because there is a lot of. there's not a lot of news coming out of the military and of course they are and a lot of them are in fear we've seen several advisories in the past year against it one of my those are within the military and those officials have been detained in prison there are investigations dealing with torture not only to the military officials that has any kind of uprising against mother but also towards their family so there is a lot of fear within the armed forces to say they support one way to go or even show it so it is. very hard to to decipher who he is with my little
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because they really like his government and who is with son because the fear has come you know if you're educated in the reports of soldiers actually being seen in public on the street showing their support for why don't we talking about numbers here that can be reported has anyone seen soldiers in support of wider. yes definitely there is at least forty officers that are accompanying one great in today's upright think. we don't know the rank the names of them there have been several high ranking officials that have been detained by the government that suspected or supporting one break all one of them is the. head of intelligence agency here in venezuela christopher to get on who was apparently
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detained there according to some journalist and he has said in a twitter that he is not supporting longways all but. the prominent political prisoner was in custody of the intelligence. agency showing his freedom represents some kind of. support for one way don't you know there's a good point because someone had to make the decision to you said to him free what has been the response from president maduro to what is happening. america has been minimal response from either whatever he has gone to twitter and to some social media and said that he will. be trained to be a prize or. some of the leaders of the chinese will have said the u.s. military officials are confused and that they will be dealt with as they've done in
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the past with other uprisings but there's been little information from the chinese one turns on the question of this government as to what they plan to do and of course this was a surprise. surprising event this morning and it took them by surprise as well. i mean these events this morning they called everyone seems old guard. why do you say that. he started the final phase of his plan to alst president much zero do we know why why he's doing that nail and the fact that the u.s. secretary of state went from pay was so quick to tweet that the u.s. supports why the today is is that a sign that maybe there was cord nation in the events leading up to today. well it's going to follow the new government went through starting from jan words today there's been a lot of elements that have left the journalists and politicians perplexed as to
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what organization is there and terms of anything that's going on and we have to take account into account that protest each one has been very successful in acting against coordinated and structured strategies against the mother government the element of surprise is always going to be present. to. be successful against the quota for the time that's proven to be found in the past few months however it does take a lot of off guard that are trying to inform people trying to gather the news. so it's very hard to say if this was planned or if this is just a risk and one way though has been known for being a risk taker in the past three months that we've gotten to know him and you know we're getting reports. of the u.s.
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the president's national security adviser bolton is pressing key to missouri to abandon him are you getting that report there in iraq at the mean is it being reported at all have been it's where you live that the u.s. is being so burdened pressuring the aides around with euro to abandon him. but it's something that has been happening for months now but you have to have been pressuring. generals and high ranking officials. with all kinds of. you there are sanctions are lifting sanctions. from them and it's worked with some of them it's work with some high ranking officials in the us government like look at the one hand that was recently detained in spain but it we've seen it we've seen that work with some officials now the problem is that a lot of these high ranking military officials they have investigations against
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them for human rights violations or even drug trafficking so it's hard to motivate them to support one where they don't when it's expected that they will be charged for different accounts if. the government the fall if it falls and that means the big question tonight who is here with the latest from caracas thank you well it's been around a hundred days since opposition leader won quite a declared himself in his way as acting president the u.s. and several other countries are backing his leadership but the actual president nicolas maduro continues to enjoy the support of much of the military and much of its well as bureaucracy so what exactly has accomplished in the last three months. i mean i mean the company i sway it's
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a formally assume. the national executive powers as acting president. was with those words one by doeth rust himself into the center of venice with his political spotlight pressuring much of the international community to pick sides. armando the thirty five year old leader of the country's national assembly claimed monday rose election in twenty eighteen was illegitimate and called for a fresh vote it was a demand ignored despite pressure from the e.u. the united states and some south american countries who recognize why does authority less than a month after why those announcement the u.s. and its allies sought to send aid into the country tempted to secure free passage for the trucks as much in the u.s. to stay out of venezuelan affairs several aid trucks were burned during the ensuing clashes the who exactly started the fire is still debated. why don't gain supporters inside venezuela by promising to leave his country out of the grips of
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hyperinflation but he still relied on support from the u.s. and from venice with his neighbors he briefly traveled to several of them on a diplomatic tour raising concerns that he could be arrested upon his return to caracas but he was able to really enter the country as a free man thanks in part to foreign diplomats who met him at the airport. despite his diplomatic push he's failed to gain the support of the constituent assembly a branch of the legislature controlled by maduro socialist party. they recently voted to strip of parliamentary immunity which could pave the way for his arrest. has long called on the military to turn against and support his cause now the question is how many of them are ready to heed his call. the big. foreign policy for university here in. so what are we looking at.
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tonight i'm really looking at the end of nicolas maduro his room. who knows it's really difficult to know whether this is the end of needless manure as a rule or whether this is the end of those opposition movement because what really is clear at this moment is that moral won't be like yesterday i'm liz means that they'll is no possibility to step back to the situation a week ago because if one guy does not really get money we're out of the presidency. i think he will end up in jail because the actions today is it is clear evidence that one white who has crossed the rubicon if you will he's crossed the line and he can't go back it is either he has to follow through with this or there will be consequences he's originally calling for a military uprising so this is clean that for the even as well and
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justice in the hands of the regime they know even more possibilities to to get him to jail if it is not for us to believe the president what you know if this is the case why is he still free tonight image iran could have him arrested right now if he wanted to me if he said the military is still loyal to him why not just have quite a rest and now you know we have seen during the last month manure as acting quite crude and so but we haven't. listened too much from from today from yes from move today no he has been one and you know he's he's quite quiet he has said well this is a coup attempt and. there are only a few people behind but for the last hours we haven't heard anything from him and so less
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a lot of rumors. going on and speculations that. it's quite difficult to know what is going to happen i heard a lot of commentators in the united states today saying that based on what the situation is right now in its way that it is very very unlikely that the u.s. would use any type of military intervention or military force to help one white of yes do you think he realizes that is he aware that there is no u.s. military support to kill it or. maybe he has been speculating that he is forcing a situation in which the u.s. government has to into we. even of the trump government has been telling us that all options are on the table and president trump a few minutes ago has been telling us by twitter that he is following what is happening in venezuela very. very tentative and but it seems
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that really there is no there are no signs of a military intervention by the states and we're getting reports here in syria that in washington no official line is that the situation on the ground have been it's where he remains confused and the u.s. saying it has received conflicting information about what's going on that is not those are not the reports you get from a movement that is headed for success in no way and in some way time is running against why don't because even ev-l. oust videos we have seen from caracas seem to show as more people in the streets with every minute and every hour he does not succeed in getting more middle teary on his side and all the people on the streets it's getting difficult for him and we don't have to forget that three million people left venezuela. during the last two
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years and a lot of them. today would exactly be those who could be on the streets now so. yeah that's a very good point merican foreign policy analyst with you coming in sharing your insights thank you. ari for now we want to take this story to moscow and to washington we want to bring in lisa irwin she is in moscow and a correspondent helen humphrey is standing by for us in washington to both of you could even have a let me start with you you were outside the venezuelan embassy there in washington what's happening there. that's right right let me give you an update of the situation it's rather noisy gave the what you are seeing essentially as many venezuelan protests who have come out to the embassy and they are facing off against people who have been ok behind this embassy fifteen days now many american
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activists who say that either they all turn to do it over or they are against u.s. intervention in a venezuela day been singing and chanting saying we shall not be moved but certainly there's a heavy police presence here and there's a heavy u.s. secret service presence here and it's true that the embassy could be cleared out potentially in the coming hours now as to the venezuelans i've spoken to here on the ground they say essentially that many of these people who have been occupying the embassy do not have a clear picture of what is happening in venezuela i spoke to one woman who has worked inside the embassy for seventeen years and she says that in venezuela her family members of facing food shortages they're facing a medicine shortages so these people essentially already facing off behind me. how do you know we're hearing that the u.s. on a boy from venezuela abrams is says that the situation on the ground in venezuela remains and i'm quoting confused and that we've received conflicting information now take
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that and compare it to what you heard earlier from m one why those on voice to washington what was the message that he had. right we heard from taught us vecchio who is essentially wrong envoy represent state ambassador here in. washington d.c. he wasn't speaking here he was speaking down the road at a military attack which is where gliders representatives off to the time being but he was saying that this was not a military coup and that was the message they wanted to send to the international community and certainly it's fair to say that carter's vecchio and his representatives and colleagues are looking to move into this building they have paid for the past two weeks and potentially they could be in the coming days depends on what if unfolds here on the ground but that message was loud and clear from carter spec you know we want the international community to stand with one why
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don't you post one quite a recognized by the united states is the interim president of venezuela. he didn't you know. when it comes to support. he's not going to get from russia what we heard from the kremlin regarding events this evening. well absolutely brand the kremlin has been very vocal in its support of nicolas maduro throughout and today we we've even seen state t.v. basically calling what's happening and then it's well or a failed coup already we also saw heard a statement from the foreign ministry today they put out a statement criticizing the opposition calling those methods violent and calling for talks and they also called for the international community to stick to international law when it comes to the situation in venezuela now that seems to be
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a pretty clear a side swipe at the u.s. we've seen in the past months and weeks russia continuously accusing the u.s. of meddling in venezuela and of organizing a coup which now the u.s. of course again has has denied it seems that venezuela is. the newest place where tensions between russia and the. us that kind of boiling to the surface and playing out yeah it's a good point you make because the national security advisor to the us president. said just a couple hours ago that the u.s. expects russia not to interfere in venezuela that i'm sure does not go down well where you are but remind our viewers what is at stake in all of this for russia. well russia and its well have been close allies for decades they have historical ties and it's not just this geo political tide that we see there is also
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a huge economic factor and it seems that russia is kind of ready to protect that interest they've even sent in the past month troops to venezuela they kind of officially stated that that had happened in march though russia did say that it was actually military advisers that were on the ground in venezuela and not troops that would be taking on some kind of active role in the conflicts there the economic interests of russia are really significant first of all venezuela is a big importer of russian grain and russian weapons as well and also russia has loaned a huge amount of money to venezuela over the past few years and if there is a regime change in the country it could mean that russia essentially just doesn't get billions of dollars of loans back and they also are concerned about or oil as is so often the case with russia venezuela has huge huge oil reserves some of the biggest in the world and russia has
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a lie relied on its ally venezuela negotiating tables such as the opec format to kind of keep its oil interests at play and to keep prices the way it wants so russian the russian economy which really relies on oil a lot has a lot to lose if they lose the venezuela the venezuelan excuse me the venezuelan government as an ally yeah i mean you bring up a good point i mean so much geopolitics and also the global economy converging in minutes well you. know it. really sure when with stories or most go home for the leaders from washington to both of you. well as we sort of the beginning of the program we spoke earlier with one goh i do know when we asked him how he justifies his call for an uprising against the government of venezuela here's what he said. it's clear that they are the ones
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who have usurped government powers they have carried on a continuous coup since two thousand and eighteen they have disregarded the rule of law they have discarded the constitution they failed to hold free and fair elections and they seized power today the armed forces have taken an important step by siding with the people our process and we've always said this is peaceful a nonviolent and we are not going to change that the ones who have caused violence through the armed paramilitary forces they call collectives other regime and we'll maintain a nonviolent stance as demonstrated by the venezuelan people when they took to the streets to protest one hundred. where there was one rather speaking with us earlier my colleague who's been following events in venezuela online he joins me now also what do you see right now there's one image really one video that is resonating with a lot of people have been tracking the events there in venezuela it's just really
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shocking in its brutality against pro why don't protest there's we've seen this image already tonight this is pro-government military tanks you can see essentially driving into a crowd of protesters clearly intentionally aiming for them we know these one protester was seriously injured there and that crowd this was outside the air base where one made that announcement earlier this morning it really is shocking footage and brant you know we saw a lot of brutality during uprisings and protests earlier a couple of years two or three years ago it's shocking to see that now because since why doas taken to the streets we've seen a lot more peaceful response from the government that image right there has got a lot of reactions are people saying everyone's the move tiananmen square tank showing it all to do we know based on what we're seeing on social media. there is on the streets for this military a i mean we've seen the foot drive we've seen protesters and supporters from both sides out there the question now though is how much support does why don't have from the military itself because that could be the key question here and you can
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see videos like these it's really interesting to see how much you see the soldiers in the streets and what they are saying these are soldiers calling to residents saying do not be afraid of quote freedom as com and then another video here which apparently shows a group of defected soldiers they are no longer with the duro they are now with why don't you can see them actually wearing bandannas over their face and clearly they're trying to protect their identity it's difficult to tell how much support but there certainly is support in these neighborhoods there's a lot of soldiers out and they are on why doe's side and people seemingly welcoming them i mean it's hard to fasten the numbers from the ground been talking a little bit about the difficulties that people are having just communicating right now well of course social media is so big there in terms of communicating a lot of people use wants. to talk to each other that is down right now twitter a very big platform in venezuela also being throttled today you tube as well this is seemingly
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a tactic by madeira we've seen the internet suddenly go down whenever. that's happening again today in fact take a look this is the moment when c.n.n. goes down in venezuela you saw the footage there about tank was when the channel was cut off just like down as well so information hard to come by. it is as always thank you very much very fluid situation is a reminder of the big story the only story really that we're following at this hour of minutes where he lives self-proclaimed president. says there's no turning back in his bid to be president nicolas maduro the struggle for power in two surprises the authorities say an attempted coup is being defeated and. you're watching live from berlin. next up bundesliga kick off with a look at match day thirty one and i'll be back at the top of the hour with the latest on the situation in venezuela followed by the day to see that.
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what's coming up on the business so much movement. this event. is going to take a look at what all that means for the taking of course. one does leave every weekend here on t.w. . some time in the twenty six to you my great granddaughter. what would the world be like in your lifetime in around half a century. the world will be a two degrees moment and. inevitably sea levels rise by at least
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