CARACAS, May 22 – The Venezuelan opposition has released an audio recording that it said contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer.
Opposition lawmaker Ismael García (photo) said the recording captures a phone conversation between state TV personality Mario Silva, a staunch government ally, and a Cuban identified as Lieutenant Colonel Aramis Palacios.
Venezuela’s opposition has long accused Cuban leaders of wielding influence behind the scenes in guiding government decisions. For its part, the Venezuelan government accuses opposition leader Henrique Capriles of being a puppet of the US.
Speaking at a news conference, García didn’t say when the conversation was recorded or how he managed to gain access to it.
In the recording, a man identified as Silva is heard discussing a split in the ruling Socialist party between Parliament leader Diosdado Cabello and President Nicolás Maduro, the late Hugo Chávez’s successor.
The man makes it known that he is worried that Cabello, a former army officer, is conspiring against the president, who narrowly defeated Capriles in an April 14 election that the opposition refuses to accept, claiming fraud.
“For example,” the voice says, “Maduro’s opponents in the party want to remove Defence Minister Diego Molero”. And he continues “why do they want to remove him, Palacios? To be able to take the armed forces and put pressure on Maduro or to behave as they please or to pull a coup d’etat,” the man says.
Silva categorically dismissed the recording on his Twitter account, suggested it to be nothing but a “montage” and claiming US and Israeli intelligence agencies were behind it.
In a speech broadcast on Monday on state TV, Maduro (photo) called for an end to “intrigues” against his administration and the armed forces but didn’t specifically mention the recording.
During his 14-year reign, Chávez forged close ties with Cuba, where he was treated for the cancer that killed him on March 5. Venezuela has shipped billions of dollars’ worth of oil to the island on preferential terms.
Capriles had urged his supporters to pay attention to the news conference in which the recording was released. “Every corrupt and illegitimate government always implodes!” he tweeted.
Capriles electoral strategy has been to support some of Chavez reforms to help the poor, distribute food, housing and improve health, but openly attacks the links with Cuba and the billions in money and oil which the Castro brothers collect from Venezuela.
“We need that money to improve living conditions of Venezuelans, not to finance international politicking or propping the Cuban regime which abhors democracy”, Capriles repeated all along his very successful electoral campaigns that have Maduro on the tight rope.
-BERNAMA
