LIMA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Friday urged Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro to step down, calling him a "dictator", and rejected the socialist leader's call for the two to meet face-to-face along with other presidents in the region.

The centrist leader said in an interview for Reuters Latin American Investment Summit that Maduro had lost any remaining credibility since forming the constituent assembly, an all-powerful body made up of Maduro's Socialist Party loyalists.

"He's a dictator and has carried out a coup through a fraudulent election to eliminate Congress," Kuczynski said in the presidential palace in the historical center of Lima.

The comment marked the fiercest criticism yet that Kuczynski, an Oxford and Princeton trained economist and public administrator, has lobbed at Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader narrowly elected to replace Hugo Chavez in 2013.

On Kuczynski's watch, Peru has led Latin American efforts to pressure Venezuela to enact democratic reforms and signal to the world that much of the region is troubled by its deepening political and economic crises.

Maduro, who has previously called Kuczynski a "dog" and "coward" servile to the United States, on Thursday challenged the "American President of Peru" to agree to meet in person to discuss Venezuela with other leaders in the region.

"I'm not going to meet with Mr. Maduro. Sorry," Kuczynski said.

When asked what message he would send Maduro, Kuczynski said: "Leave!"

Shortly after Kuczynski spoke on Friday, Peru's foreign affairs minister announced that Peru was expelling Venezuela's ambassador to Peru to protest the constituent assembly.

Maduro has said the constituent assembly is the country's only chance at securing peace after four months of unrest and anti-government protests that have left more than 120 people dead.

Kuczynski said his primary concern with Venezuela was the regional fallout as thousands of Venezuelans flee the country's grinding poverty and hyperinflation every day and seek refuge in neighboring countries.

"We've opened the door to them," Kuczynski said. Peru recently extended a temporary work visa for Venezuelans.

"The only thing I can say is that there are a lot of people who are having a hard time in Venezuela ... and that will end one way or another," Kuczynski said. (Reporting By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; Editing by Toni Reinhold) </s> FILE PHOTO: Nicolas Maduro stands next to then Defense Minister Diego Molero (L) as he speaks to thousands of supporters of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez as they wait to view his body in state at the Military Academy in Caracas March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru said on Friday it was expelling Venezuela’s ambassador to Peru to protest the country’s recent formation of an all-powerful constituent assembly that has been widely condemned as a power grab by socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela responded by ordering the charge d’affaires at the Peruvian embassy in Caracas to leave the country within five days. Peru withdrew its ambassador to Venezuela in March.

Peru’s announcement on Friday, shortly after President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski called Maduro a “dictator”, marked the first time that a country has moved to expel a Venezuelan ambassador since the country’s July 30 vote to form the constituent assembly amid allegations of fraud.

In Latin America, Peru has taken the toughest stance toward Maduro as he seeks to consolidate power and crack down on anti-government protests and unrest that have left 120 dead since April.

Earlier this week, Peru summoned top diplomats from the region to discuss Venezuela in Lima, Peru’s capital, where 12 nations condemned the “rupture of democratic order” in Venezuela and said they would not recognize any action taken by the constituent assembly.

Maduro has said the constituent assembly is the country’s only chance at securing peace and prosperity.

Venezuela called Kuczynski, a former Wall Street banker, “an enemy of the country, for continually interfering in the domestic affairs of Venezuela.”

“The Venezuelan government will continue to deepen relations with the heroic Peruvian people despite the actions of the elite that governs Peru,” Venezuela’s foreign ministry said in a statement. It added that its ambassador to Peru, Diego Molero, was in Venezuela.

The escalating rhetoric came as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military intervention in Venezuela, which Venezuela called “an act of craziness.” </s> LIMA, Peru — Peru is expelling Venezuela’s ambassador as it and other nations in Latin America begin to assert more pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government for allegedly trampling on the constitutional order.

Peru said in a statement Friday that it was giving Ambassador Diego Molero five days to leave the country. It also refused to receive a diplomatic protest made by Maduro after Peru this week hosted foreign ministers from more than a dozen like-minded regional governments to pressure Maduro to back down from his plans to rewrite the constitution.

The opposition sees the move to retool the charter as an illegitimate power grab. </s> Peru expelled Venezuela’s ambassador on Friday as regional pressure built on President Nicolas Maduro’s government for allegedly trampling his country’s constitutional order.

Peru gave Ambassador Diego Molero, a former Venezuelan defence minister, five days to leave the country. As part of what it said was a firm commitment “to help restore Venezuela’s democracy,” Peru’s administration also refused to accept a diplomatic protest made by Maduro over Peru’s hosting this week of foreign ministers from 17 regional nations who refused to recognize the new, loyalist-packed special assembly that is to rewrite the constitution.

The diplomatic action by Peru, which was the strongest yet from a Latin American government, came as the Trump administration weighed putting economic sanctions on Venezuela to punish Maduro for what Washington calls an illegitimate power grab.

In an escalation of rhetoric, President Donald Trump said Friday that he hasn’t ruled out military action against Venezuela.

Speaking to reporters at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, Trump bemoaned the country’s growing humanitarian crisis and declared that all options remain on the table — including a potential military intervention.

“We have many options for Venezuela and by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option,” Trump volunteered, adding, “A military operation and military option is certainly something that we could pursue.”

On Thursday, Trump said he discussed Venezuela along with North Korea and Afghanistan in a security briefing with top national security aides and Vice-President Mike Pence. Pence is travelling to Colombia on Sunday to begin a regional trip that is expected to include discussions on how to deal with Maduro.

Maduro has tried to deflect the pressure from Washington, and on Thursday he said he wants to meet with Trump, perhaps next month at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Mr. Donald Trump, here is my hand,” the socialist president told delegates at the constitutional assembly, adding that he wants as strong a relationship with the U.S. as he has with Russia.

But the apparent olive branch was undermined in the same speech by an angry rant in which Maduro accused Trump of being behind a failed attack on a Venezuelan military base early Sunday.

The Trump administration in turn has called Maduro a “dictator” and imposed sanctions on him and more than two dozen other former and current Venezuelan officials.

Reaction in Latin America has been far more subdued, reflecting long-held reluctance by much of the region to encroach on a neighbour’s sovereignty and some lingering ideological affinity for the anti-imperialist revolution started by the late Hugo Chavez. Several attempts to punish Venezuela at the Organization of American States have failed due to a lack of consensus.

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has been until recently a lonely exception in openly condemning Maduro.

Meanwhile, Maduro’s government has sent mixed signals about how much more confrontation it is willing to accept.

This week, the government-packed Supreme Court ordered the arrest of two Caracas-area mayors for protecting protesters in their districts. And on Friday, Tarek William Saab, installed as chief prosecutor after the constitutional assembly ousted his outspoken predecessor, warned that he would reopen investigations against protesters for the use of violence and even destruction of trees used to build barricades at demonstrations.

At the same time, the constitutional assembly on Friday said it would debate a proposal to push up to October elections for governors in all of Venezuela’s states. It’s a possible sign that the government is looking to negotiate a deal with the opposition, although many question if the constitutional assembly, which has a free hand to upend institutions, will even allow elections that were originally slated to take place last year will be allowed to go forward.

Also on Friday, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said security forces have captured the mastermind of a failed assault on a military base a week ago.

Former national guard Capt. Juan Caguaripano was captured in Caracas along with an active-duty soldier who allegedly collaborated with a small group of civilians and former officers that last Saturday raided a major military base in Valencia and walked off with a cache of weapons.

Padrino called the arrests a “major blow to the fascist terrorism put in place by the Venezuelan right-wing in the past few months” of anti-government protests.

Last Saturday’s attack left two people dead and came after Caguaripano, who went into exile after denouncing Maduro in 2014, released in a video in which he stood before a group of heavily-armed men in fatigues and called on the armed forces to rebel. </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peru fears Venezuela may be headed toward civil war as a political crisis deepens and its economy implodes under the rule of socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Peru's foreign minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

Speaking a day after summoning his counterparts from across the region to Lima to condemn the "rupture of democratic order" in Venezuela, Ricardo Luna said Maduro's support at home and abroad had shrunk as he seeks to consolidate power through the constituent assembly, a powerful new body run by the ruling Socialist Party loyalists.

Peru has been one of Venezuela's harshest critics since centrist President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski took office a year ago, replacing a former ally of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Luna called Maduro's accusation that Kuczynski is conspiring with U.S. President Donald Trump "absurd."

Peru's concern, he said, is the humanitarian crisis that has already sent waves of Venezuelan refugees to neighboring nations, including some 40,000 to Peru in the past six months.

"Our fear is that you really have a low-intensity civil war, which would produce a humanitarian crisis of great proportions," Luna said in an interview in his offices in Lima.

"It's not necessarily going to happen, and it's not easy to compare it to major crisis such as the one we have in Syria. But it is a large country. It's a complex situation. It's something that's been building in time," Luna said.

More than 125 people have died in clashes in Venezuela since the opposition began sustained protests in April. On Sunday, Venezuelan authorities quelled an attack on a military base by soldiers and armed civilians, killing two of them in a dramatic escalation of unrest.

Luna said Maduro's "autocracy" does not appear to have sufficient support among Venezuelans to hold on to power for several decades as Cuba's government has, and it may not be long before the oil-producing country's economy collapses completely.

"The last leg can last weeks, months, or even half a year. Not more than that," Luna said.

Peru is evaluating new ways to pressure Venezuela to enact democratic reforms, including expelling Venezuela's ambassador from Peru or reducing Peru's diplomatic presence in Venezuela, Luna said.

While Maduro might shrug off the Lima Declaration signed by 12 nations on Tuesday, including Canada, Brazil and Mexico, the collective condemnation sends a signal to the world that most in the region no longer sees Venezuela as a democracy, Luna said.

The new bloc plans to meet to discuss Venezuela again at the United Nations General Assembly. </s> LIMA (AFP) - Foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada said Friday (Jan 4) their governments would not accept Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president when he is sworn in for a second six-year term next week.

The 14-member Lima Group - with the exception of Mexico - said it would not grant recognition to Maduro's hardline socialist government, after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Maduro's inauguration on Jan 10.

Maduro was re-elected on May 20 in a ballot boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States which called it a "sham."

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Popolizio told reporters.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The Group, of which Canada is a member, said Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until free elections can be held.

"Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Popolizio said.

Venezuela hit back at the Lima Group, accusing it of fomenting a coup at the behest of the US, which has sanctioned Venezuelan officials and entities.

Caracas expressed its "great bewilderment at the extravagant declaration of a group of countries of the American continent which, after receiving instructions from the United States through a videoconference, have agreed to encourage a coup d'etat," according to a statement read by Venezuela's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.

The United States, which is not a member of the group created after deadly anti-Maduro protests in 2017, participated in the meeting for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented by video conference from Washington.

The arrival in power of a new far-right government in Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is likely to harden regional opposition to Maduro.

Bolsonaro, who has aligned himself with Washington by expressing hostility towards "authoritarian regimes," said Thursday he was open to discussing his country's becoming home to a US military base "in the future."

Venezuela recently hosted the Russian Air Force, including long-range nuclear bombers, for joint military exercises - a move that stoked regional tensions.

The Lima Group action coincides with a statement from Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognise the "illegitimate" Maduro when he takes office.

"We are facing a man who stole an election. We will not have more than a usurper (as president). Neither Venezuelans nor foreigners can recognise Maduro as president," opposition deputy Delsa Solorzano told AFP.

Separately, the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, called on Twitter for the international community not to recognise Maduro.

Maduro, who was handpicked by Socialist president Hugo Chavez to succeed him when he died in 2013, was re-elected in May after early elections called by the Constituent Assembly, a body created by Maduro which has in practice replaced the legislature.

The Lima Group statement reiterated its support for the National Assembly, which it recognises as Venezuela's "constitutionally elected body." Washington has recently stepped up contacts with South American states dealing with the influx of migrants - around one million to Colombia alone - from Venezuela's worsening economic crisis.

Pompeo was in Cartagena earlier this week for talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque. Both officials have denounced Maduro's "dictatorship" and agreed to step up efforts to isolate his government diplomatically. </s> LIMA, Peru (AP) - The Latest on a regional meeting about Venezuela's political crisis. (all times local):

A dozen Latin American governments have urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to abstain from being sworn in for a second term next week and cede power until new elections can be held. They say it is the only way to restore democracy in the South American nation.

The strong rebuke came following a meeting Friday of high-ranking diplomats from the 12 regional governments and Canada in Peru's capital to discuss Venezuela's crisis ahead of Maduro's plans to be sworn in Jan. 10 for a second term he won in elections widely condemned as illegitimate.

Mexico also partook in the meeting of the so-called Lima Group but didn't sign the statement.

The group also called for a toughening of sanctions against Maduro's government and expressed support for efforts to initiate proceedings against his government at the International Criminal Court.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, right, and Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie, left, attend a meeting of the Lima Group concerning Venezuela in Lima, Peru, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. A coalition of international leaders gather in Lima to define a strategy for resolving Venezuela's growing crisis ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration to a second term, which is widely dismissed as illegitimate. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Maduro has disavowed the group's recommendations in the past and his foreign minister on Friday accused the countries of taking orders from U.S. President Donald Trump. </s> LIMA (Peru)
• Foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada have said their governments will not accept Mr Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's President when he is sworn in for a second six-year term this week.

The 14-member Lima Group - with the exception of Mexico - said last Friday it would not grant recognition to Mr Maduro's hardline socialist government, after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse.

Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Mr Maduro's inauguration on Jan 10.

Mr Maduro was re-elected last May 20 in a ballot boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States which called it a "sham".

"The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Mr Popolizio told reporters.

"It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said.

The Lima Group, of which Canada is a member, said Mr Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until free elections can be held. "Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Mr Popolizio said.

Venezuela hit back at the Lima Group, accusing it of fomenting a coup at the behest of the US, which has sanctioned Venezuelan officials and entities.

Caracas expressed its "great bewilderment at the extravagant declaration of a group of countries of the American continent which, after receiving instructions from the United States through a video conference, have agreed to encourage a coup d'etat", according to a statement read by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.

The US, which is not a member of the group which was created after deadly anti-Maduro protests in 2017, participated in the meeting for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented by video conference from Washington.

The move coincides with a statement from Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognise the "illegitimate" Mr Maduro when he takes office.

Separately, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States, Mr Luis Almagro, has called on Twitter for the international community not to recognise Mr Maduro. </s> Opposition leaders branded Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro a “dictator” on Thursday after the Supreme Court took over the functions of Congress and pushed a lengthy political standoff to new heights.

There was swift and widespread international condemnation of the de facto annulment of the National Assembly, where the opposition won a majority in late 2015 amid an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen Maduro’s popularity plummet.

The head of the 34-nation Organization of International States (OAS), Luis Almagro, said the Venezuelan court had dealt the final blows to democracy and accused Maduro’s “regime” of carrying out a “coup.”

Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala and Panama expressed strong concerns while Peru withdrew its envoy after what it termed a rupture of democracy.

The United States described the move as a “serious setback for democracy in Venezuela” while the European Union called for a “clear electoral calendar” going forward.

Venezuela’s top court had already overturned most National Assembly decisions since the opposition win. Then late on Wednesday, it explicitly stated it was assuming Congress’ role in a ruling authorizing Maduro to create oil joint ventures without the previously mandated congressional approval.

“As long as the situation of contempt in the National Assembly continues, this constitutional chamber guarantees congressional functions will be exercised by this chamber or another chosen organ,” the court said in its ruling.

The contempt charge stems from vote-buying accusations against three lawmakers from southern Amazonas state. Even though they no longer sit in Congress, the court said parliamentary leaders had not handled their case legally.

 

 Critics of Maduro say it is an excuse for him to consolidate power and muzzle the opposition amid a severe recession, soaring inflation and acute shortages of food and medicine.

Maduro, a 54-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, was narrowly elected in 2013 to replace late leftist President Hugo Chavez. He has accused Washington of leading a push to topple him as part of a wider offensive against leftist governments.

Stung by the rebukes around Latin America, Maduro’s government condemned what it described as a “right-wing regional pact” against it on Thursday.

“We reject the Peruvian government’s rude support for the violent and extremist sectors in Venezuela,” Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in a series of tweets.

Leaders of Venezuela’s Democratic Unity opposition coalition renewed their demand for early presidential elections and accused Maduro of duplicating Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori’s notorious 1992 closure of Congress.

“Nicolas Maduro has carried out a ‘coup d’etat’ … this is a dictatorship,” said National Assembly President Julio Borges, before tearing up a copy of the Supreme Court ruling at a news conference in the gardens of the legislature.

“This is trash from people who have kidnapped the constitution, rights and freedom of Venezuelans … The National Assembly does not recognize the Supreme Court.”

The opposition promised new street protests starting from Saturday – but that tactic has failed in the past despite marches that have drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters.

Last year, the opposition pushed for a referendum to recall Maduro and force a new presidential election, but authorities thwarted them and also postponed local electoral races that were supposed to have been held in 2016.

Around a dozen opposition lawmakers trying to march to the Supreme Court on Thursday clashed with National Guard soldiers and pro-government supporters lined up to stop them.

Pockets of youths took to the streets in parts of Caracas and attempted to block a major highway. They held flags and banners saying, “No to dictatorship.”

However, numbers were small and they quickly dispersed.

In 2014, a wave of unrest swept the country, leaving more than 40 dead, though now many opposed to the government say they feel protesting is pointless.

“If the international community stays firm, demanding elections, we are sure the government will have to turn back,” another opposition leader and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said.

Spooked by the opposition’s warning that investment deals bypassing Congress would not be valid, foreign oil companies were closely following the political showdown.

As Venezuela tries to raise funds for bond payments and a reeling economy, it has sought to sell stakes in oil fields. State oil company PDVSA recently offered Russia’s Rosneft a stake in the Petropiar oil joint venture, sources with knowledge of the proposal told Reuters.

“We want to make perfectly clear to all the oil companies that any strategic alliance (that did not go through Congress) is null,” Borges said on Thursday.

While some investors could see the Supreme Court sentence as giving them the green light to invest, others are increasingly worried about Venezuela’s murky legal framework.

“There is reasonable doubt about the legality of all this,” said a source at a foreign oil company.
Shortly after Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski called Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro a "dictator" in response to the Venezuelan constitutional crisis, Peru expels Venezuela's ambassador to Peru to protest Venezuela's recent formation of an all-powerful constituent assembly that has been widely condemned as a power grab by Maduro.