Venezuela gives US diplomats 72 hours to leave

By Soner Dogan </p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – Venezuela has given U.S diplomats 72 hours to leave the country, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Tuesday. </p> <p>“U.S. diplomatic personnel must leave Venezuela in the next 72 hours,” Arreaza said on Twitter. </p> <p>If the U.S. wants to reestablish ties with Venezuela, this can only happen through the United Nations, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.</p> <p>The announcement follows Washington’s decision to withdraw its remaining diplomatic staff from its embassy in Caracas this week. </p> <p>“This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday on Twitter. </p> <p>Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition. </p> <p>Tensions escalated when Juan Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries. </p> <p>Turkey, Russia, Iran, Cuba, China and Bolivia put their weight behind Maduro, who has vowed to cut all diplomatic and political ties with the U.S.</p> <p>* Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic