Venezuela April 24, 2019
Venezuelan opposition reps throw temper tantrums when confronted about lack
of legitimacy, interventionist plans at OAS
At the OAS, two top representatives of Juan Guaidos US-backed shadow
government Gustavo Tarre and David Smolansky lost their cool when
confronted with critical questions. Both recently attended a closed-door DC
meeting on a US military assault.
By Anya Parampil
On April 23, the Venezuelan lawyer and opposition activist Gustavo Tarre
stood outside the Simon Bolivar room inside the Organization of American
States (OAS) in Washington DC and fielded friendly questions from reporters.
It was a rare day of celebration for the Venezuelan opposition, which had
been deprived of concrete victories since launching their coup with US
backing in January. Having just been installed with as Venezuelas
ambassador at the OAS, Tarre controlled little more than the chair he sat
in. But as he was trotted out into the hall by a young handler in order to
hold his first press-conference as ambassador, he beamed with pride.
As soon as I approached Tarre and another key figure in Juan Guaidos coup
administration with critical questions about their legitimacy and about
their apparent participation in a closed door meeting to discuss a US
military assault on Venezuela their ebullience turned to rage.
In an exclusive report on April 13, The Grayzone exposed a private
roundtable that gathered a whos who of Trump advisors, right-wing Latin
American officials, and Venezuelan opposition figures to discuss Assessing
the Use of Military Force in Venezuela. The meeting was hosted on April 10
at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a
Washington-based think tank where Tarre had been employed as a fellow. And
the newly installed ambassadors name appeared on the meeting check-in list.
When I asked Tarre if he had participated in the roundtable, and if he
thought it was normal for an ambassador to discuss a foreign invasion of his
own country, he pivoted to a familiar opposition talking point: [Venezuela]
is a country invaded by foreigners. Invaded by Russian agents. Invaded by
Cubans.
I countered that any Russian and Cuban officials currently in Venezuela had
arrived at the invitation of the internationally recognized Maduro
government. To this, a visibly riled Tarre offered up a strange historical
analogy:
No! he barked at me. Any government that will help is invited. When the
Soviet Union was invaded by Hitler, help from the Allies was fundamental; if
not, there would be defeat at the beginning. The same with us!
In twisting the history of World War Two into an unrecognizable jumble,
Tarre wound up conceding that the Venezuelan oppositions hopes for regime
change were entirely contingent on US military support.
I followed up by asking which institutions the shadow administration of
National Assembly President Juan Guaido currently controlled, questioning
the legitimacy of Tarre and other figures who were essentially playing
government under Guaidos watch.
The street, girl! The street! Tarre snapped, condescendingly addressing me
as niña.
I replied that during my three weeks in Caracas this February, I witnessed
massive street mobilizations in support of President Nicolas Maduro. When I
provided him with my eyewitness account, he whipped off his glasses, shaking
them in my face to imply that vision problems accounted for my assessment.
No, there are many paramilitaries, many colectivos, much killing, Tarre
exclaimed, I am giving you a gift so you can see well.
So when were you last in Venezuela, I asked him. Five years ago, came his
reply.
Smolansky blows his top when asked about CSIS meeting
David Smolansky, a former Caracas mayor and prominent figure in Guaidos
US-backed Popular Will party, fell into a similar fit of petulance when I
asked him about his participation in the April 10 CSIS meeting to assess
the Use of Military Force in Venezuela.
You know that because you were the one that published that, the clearly
annoyed Smolansky replied.
Do you think its appropriate for someone working on migrant issues at the
OAS to be advocating for or meeting about war in Latin America? I asked,
pointing out Smolanskys role as OAS Coordinator on the Venezuelan migrant
and refugee issue. By all accounts, a US military invasion of the country
would only create more migrants, and possibly destabilize Venezuelas
neighbors.
Dismissing my characterization of the meeting as opinion (though the
check-in list obtained by The Grayzone clearly outlined its disturbing
agenda), Smolansky whipped out a familiar talking point.
What a shame you support Cuban agents that are torturing people in
Venezuela, he snapped before walking away to greet friendlier media. What
a shame!
For Smolansky and Tarre, the true shame may prove to be that neither of them
were prepared to answer critical questions about their authority or lack
thereof to officially represent Venezuela.
Anya Parampil
Anya Parampil is a Washington, DC based journalist. She previously hosted a
daily progressive afternoon news program called In Question on RT America.
She has produced and reported several documentaries, including on the ground
reports from the Korean peninsula and Palestine.