Venezuelan Opposition Leader Meets Biden; Foreign Citizens Arrested in Venezuela

The leader of the Venezuelan opposition met with the President of the United States at the White House; meanwhile, on the eve of Nicolás Maduro's inauguration, Venezuela announced that it has arrested several foreign citizens on charges of 'attempting to destabilize' the country. Edmundo Gonzales, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, who is recognized by several countries as the winner of last year's presidential election, met with Joe Biden on Monday, January 7. Mr. Biden shared a photo from the meeting on social media, stating that the people of Venezuela deserve a peaceful transfer of power to the true winner of the election. He called Edmundo Gonzales an inspiration to millions and reminded that he was supposed to take the oath of office as President of Venezuela in four days. The inauguration ceremony for Nicolás Maduro, whom the Venezuelan government has declared the winner of the July election, is scheduled for Friday, January 21. His victory announcement faced a wave of protests both inside and outside Venezuela. After the meeting with Mr. Biden, Gonzales told reporters, 'We had a fruitful, lengthy, and heartfelt conversation with President Biden and his team.' In response to this meeting, the Venezuelan government issued a statement accusing the Biden administration of supporting a 'violent project' to undermine the electoral system in the country. The Venezuelan opposition, by releasing details of the electoral votes, stated that Edmundo Gonzales won decisively in the election six months ago. International observers have also stated that the elections in Venezuela were not transparent or fair; the Venezuelan government has yet to release detailed election results. The United States recognized the Venezuelan opposition leader as the elected president. Edmundo Gonzales also announced on social media that he had a lengthy conversation with Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's national security advisor candidate. He mentioned that one of the topics discussed was the civil protests of Venezuelan citizens on the night of Nicolás Maduro's inauguration, and Mr. Waltz emphasized that the United States and the world would be watching what happens in Venezuela. Meanwhile, Venezuelan officials reported the arrest of at least 125 people, including several foreign citizens, accusing them of 'being mercenaries' in 'destabilizing actions.' Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela's Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace, announced in a press conference the arrest of these individuals, claiming that some of the detainees had connections with opposition leaders and that 'weapons had been discovered and seized from them.' He did not provide evidence for these claims and was not willing to disclose details, including the charges against the detainees and the timing of their arrests. Diosdado Cabello stated that in addition to Venezuelan citizens, among those arrested were citizens from Colombia, the United States, Peru, Spain, Italy, Uruguay, Ukraine, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Albania, the Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Argentina, Guyana, and Yemen. The Venezuelan government also reported the arrest of six foreigners last year, including an American Marine, claiming they were plotting to assassinate Nicolás Maduro. In another development, the Venezuelan government announced it was severing diplomatic relations with Paraguay, citing support from Santiago Peña, the President of Paraguay, for the Venezuelan opposition. Following this, Paraguay ordered the expulsion of Venezuelan diplomats from its territory.