- Venezuela on Monday ordered the U.S. embassy in Caracas to
reduce staff from 100 to 17 amid the worst diplomatic flare-up between the two
ideological foes since socialist President Nicolas Maduro was elected in 2013. Maduro,
who like his predecessor Hugo Chavez frequently locks horns with Washington, has
stepped up accusations in recent weeks that the United States is seeking to
topple him. The measures announced in response to alleged coup plotting are the
most significant against Washington of Maduro's nearly two-year rule, though
foes say they represent a timeworn tactic to distract Venezuelans from their
economic troubles. "They have 15 days to reduce the size of their embassy
to 17 staffers," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said after a meeting
with the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Lee McClenny, Washington's most senior diplomat
in Venezuela. More…
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