UN chief urges 'maximum restraint' in Venezuela

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged "maximum restraint" in Venezuela, after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising seeking to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"The Secretary-General is following very closely and with great concern the latest developments in Venezuela," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a news conference.

"The Secretary-General urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," he added.

Dujarric also said Guterres was available to mediate the situation should both sides request UN support.

"It's not for the Secretary-General to give support for one party or another. The focus of the Secretary General is on the well-being of the people of Venezuela," Dujarric said.

Guaido earlier published a video alongside a small contingent of uniformed military personnel and armored vehicles in which he called for an uprising to end the "usurpation" of Maduro.

He stressed it was the beginning of the final phase of the effort to oust Maduro, known as Operacion Libertad, or Operation Liberty.

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

Guaido also called on Venezuelans to take to the streets to support the "democratic forces" and "recover the country's freedom" after sympathetic military officials released Leopoldo Lopez, the opposition leader who has been held in custody since 2014 for leading anti-government protests.