By Lisandra Paraguassu and Vivian Sequera
BRASILIA/CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela has revoked Brazil's authority to represent Argentine interests in the country, including allowing Brazil to operate an embassy housing six opposition figures, the Venezuelan government said on Saturday.
Venezuela said in a statement that the decision took effect “immediately” and that it was based on evidence that the embassy was used to plan assassination attempts against President Nicolas Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez.
Shortly afterwards, Brazil said it had received the announcement “with surprise”.
A statement stressed that the country would remain captive and continue to defend Argentina's interests until Argentina designates another state acceptable to Venezuela.
“The Brazilian Government, in this regard, under the provisions of the Vienna Convention, stresses the inviolability of the facilities of the Argentine diplomatic mission,” the report said. It also noted that the mission housed six Venezuelan asylum seekers, assets and archives.
Representatives of the Argentine government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Friday night, some opposition members in the Argentine residence reported on their X accounts that the building was under surveillance and had no electricity. They posted videos showing men in black and patrols from the government intelligence agency SEBIN.
In March, six people sought asylum at the Argentine embassy in Caracas after a prosecutor ordered their arrest on charges including conspiracy. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has denied the accusations against her associates.
On Friday, Argentina's Foreign Ministry asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Nicolas Maduro and other senior government officials over events that took place after the July elections.
Venezuela severed ties with Argentina after the disputed presidential election of July 28. Brazil, like Colombia and Mexico, has asked the Venezuelan government to make the full results of the election public.
The government failed to do so and the country's electoral authority declared that President Nicolas Maduro has been re-elected for a third term.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia and Vivian Sequera in Caracas; additional reporting by Jorge Otaola in Buenos Aires; writing by Alexander Villegas; editing by Franklin Paul)
