Guadio: No 'violent confrontations' unless Maduro wants

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Venezuelan opposition leader on Tuesday said there is no possibility of "violent confrontations" in the wake of reports that the President Nicolas Maduro’s government is facing a coup attempt.

"There is no possibility of violent confrontations in Venezuela, unless Nicolas Maduro’s regime wants it," CNN quoted Juan Guaido as saying.

His remarks came after Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Rodriguez said a group of soldiers self-deployed in the Altamira distributor road, which is close to La Carlota military air base, for uprising against the Constitution and the peace of the country.

Earlier, Guaido released a video on Twitter in which he can be seen meeting military units of the National Armed Forces and called for uprising to end the "usurpation" of Maduro.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Guadio stressed that this was the beginning of the final phase of the so-called Operation Freedom Operation to oust Maduro.

"The National Armed Forces have made the correct decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people," Guaido said.

The opposition also made a public call to take to the streets to support the "democratic forces" and "recover country's freedom."