Venezuela’s Guaido Requests Meeting with Italy’s Leaders for His Envoys – Reuters

By Steve Scherer

ROME – Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has reached out to Italy’s ruling coalition leaders, seeking their explicit support as interim president, which he has garnered from nearly all other European nations.

The hard-right League party has shown strong backing for Guaido, while its coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement, has withheld its support. This leaves Italy as the only major European Union country yet to recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s temporary head of state.

In a letter dated February 5 and shared by League leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s office, Guaido inquired whether he could send a delegation to present his plan for renewing democracy in Venezuela through fair elections. The letter highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting all Venezuelans, including over 100,000 Italians living in Venezuela.

A source from the 5-Star government confirmed that its leader, Luigi Di Maio, also received a similar letter. Salvini’s office announced that he would meet Guaido’s representatives on February 11, although the 5-Star Movement did not provide immediate comment.

Around 20 EU nations, including Britain, Germany, France, and Spain, have aligned with the United States in recognizing Guaido’s leadership and are pressuring socialist President Nicolas Maduro to call new elections. Conversely, Russia and China oppose what they see as external interference.

Salvini labeled Maduro a criminal and an outlaw, emphasizing the dire situation faced by Venezuelans under his regime. He remarked that there is an "illegal president" who is responsible for severe human rights abuses and called for the people’s right to vote freely.

Alessandro Di Battista, a significant figure in the 5-Star Movement, contended that overt support for Guaido would amount to meddling and could set the stage for military intervention. Recently, Italy blocked a joint EU stance to recognize Guaido as interim president, according to diplomatic sources.

Venezuelans of Italian descent, many of whom emigrated during the economic turmoil of the two World Wars, represent a large and influential community in Venezuela.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who typically remains apart from day-to-day political matters, encouraged the government to find common ground and support Guaido. He stated that it is vital to demonstrate responsibility and clarity with a unified approach aligned with EU partners and allies.

Mainstream center-left and center-right parties have criticized the government for not aligning its position with the prevailing views in Europe.