By Karl Penhaul, Esprit Smith and Chelsea J. Carter
Caracas, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro called Friday on the United States to exchange
ambassadors just days after expelling three American diplomats from the
country.
The request came during
an hours-long news conference aired on state-run TV, where Maduro called
on President Barack Obama to begin talks, even as he repeatedly accused
the United States of interfering in Venezuelan internal affairs and
stoking sometimes violent anti-government protests in recent days.
"I call for a dialogue
with you, Obama," Maduro said. "You can designate (U.S. Secretary of
State John) Kerry or whoever you want to come to this dialogue and I
will send my foreign minister ... for this high-level meeting."
At the same time, Maduro accused Obama of failing to live up to a commitment not to "interfere with Venezuelan affairs."
"What you have said has not been carried out," he said.
The United States and
Venezuela have not had resident ambassadors since 2010, although they
have maintained diplomatic missions and active embassies.
Maduro's call to exchange
ambassadors comes after his government accused American diplomats of
using a visa program as cover to meet with with youth organizers at
private universities "for training, financing and creating youth
organizations through which violence is promoted in Venezuela."
The expulsion, which
President Nicolas Maduro first announced Sunday, comes after the State
Department expressed concerns about rising tensions in Venezuela.
Maduro's news conference comes amid questions of whether he can hold onto control of the country amid rising demonstrations.
Venezuela's western state of Tachira became a flashpoint Friday between anti-government protesters and security forces.
Protesters blocked off
some of the main roads in the capital, San Cristobal, public
transportation was paralyzed, and few businesses were open.
Maduro's government has
responded strongly to protests in Tachira as he faces the largest
demonstrations since coming to power almost a year ago.
The country's interior
minister, Miguel Rodriguez Torres, has announced a new plan to restore
order in Tachira, which, he said, may include sending a battalion of
paratroopers there.
"This battalion will
reinforce the units that find themselves on the major roadways that
converge in this city," Rodriguez said Thursday.
The military is
necessary because the government believes that people from across the
border in Colombia are crossing into Tachira to make trouble, Rodriguez
said.
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| CNN cams taken at gunpoint in Venezuela |
Meanwhile, the government on Friday said that eight people have died in the violence related to the protests and clashes.
Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said another 137 have been injured.
Four people were killed in Caracas, two in Carabobo state, one in Sucre state and one in Lara state, he said.
The government and the opposition blame each other for the deaths.
Maduro singled out one opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, as responsible for calling for the protests.
Lopez turned himself in
to authorities this week, and he was charged Thursday with arson and
conspiracy. More serious charges of murder and terrorism were dropped.
If convicted, Lopez could face up to 10 years in prison.
The unrest
During the
demonstrations, supporters of the country's socialist government and
anti-government protesters have flooded social media with reports of
violence, making drastically different claims about who's behind it.
Since February 13, more
than 2,000 stories from Venezuela have been uploaded to iReport, CNN's
user-generated platform. Many of the videos and photos depict violent
scenes between demonstrators and government forces.
He also called out
called out CNN, Fox and other U.S.-based media, claiming that they are
encouraging opposition forces against the government
Alejandro Camacho
Beomont told iReport that students Wednesday blocked streets and burned
debris in San Cristobal, from where he sent photos -- and he said he
didn't blame them.
"Even though I am always
looking for peace to make a better place to live, I think people have
the right to express themselves in the ways they can, and it is not easy
to express yourself in this country now," he said. "I support the
protesters. There have been more than 15 years that the majority of the
Venezuelan citizens are going through tough times. There are so many
problems we have to face every day, and there seems to be not a sincere
attitude from the high government officials to rectify (them)."
In a nationally
televised broadcast Wednesday night, Maduro described bullet wounds
sustained by government forces during protests and showed videos that he
said depicted opposition protesters throwing stones and setting buses
ablaze.
"You think this is a
novel? This is the reality that you with your hatred have created," he
said. "If you don't like Venezuela, leave."
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