US Vice President accused of plotting to overthrow Venezuelan government

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on February 1 accused US Vice President Joe Biden of planning to overthrow his government.

President Maduro did not know whether his US counterpart Barack Obama knew about Mr. Biden's "reckless and dangerous" plan, but said that the plan had been spread to the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Caribbean countries.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (Photo: Reuters)

According to Mr. Maduro, US Vice President Biden revealed this plan at a recent meeting with Caribbean leaders on energy in Washington and this information was conveyed to the Venezuelan President during the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) last week.

Mr Maduro said the plan included bribing senior Venezuelan military officials to stage a coup in the South American country. He called on Venezuelans to prepare to defend their democracy.

On January 30, Mr. Maduro also accused all US government agencies of being involved in a violent plan to overthrow his government.

The confrontation between Venezuela and the US has arisen since the late President Hugo Chavez took power in 1999. Over the past four years, the two countries have not exchanged ambassadors, but the US remains Venezuela's leading economic partner, buying more than 1 million barrels of oil per day from this South American country./.

According to VOV.VN