Europa Press and Reuters
The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, September 22, 2024, p. 19
Madrid. The Spanish Congress could set the appearance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, on October 4 to explain – at his request – the transfer to Madrid of the Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, in order to grant him asylum, three members of the Foreign Relations Committee told Europa Press.
The State Secretariat for Relations with the Parliament submitted, on behalf of the minister, a request for appearance in order to give an account of the government’s decision to grant asylum to the right-wing opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
The request was submitted the day after González landed in Madrid on an Air Force plane after having spent several days taking refuge in the residence of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, Ramón Santos.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Popular Party (PP) insists on asking for the resignation of the chancellor, despite the statement by Edmundo González denying coercion of Pedro Sánchez’s government, thus refuting the statements of the deputy spokesperson for the PP in Congress, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, who assured that Edmundo González “was the victim of blackmail and coercion at the residence of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas.
A Spanish Embassy cannot be the scene of extortion; it cannot serve as an operations room for the underworldhe said.
To silence slander
Albares demanded that the Popular Party apologize for the slander and libel against the Spanish foreign service, in reference to the statements of the deputy secretary of Institutional Affairs of the PP, Esteban González Pons, accusing the government of being involved in an alleged coup d’état in Venezuela.
“Thank you @EdmundoGU “for defending the truth against slander and libel against Spain and its foreign service,” Albares wrote on his social media account X.
The former Venezuelan candidate left for Spain after securing guarantees that his family and property in Venezuela would be safe, he added in an interview with Reuters.
A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo González in early September, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes. Days later, the right-wing politician left his country after receiving permission from Nicolás Maduro’s government to travel to Spain to request asylum.
