© REUTERS / Carlos BarriaFILE PHOTO: Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido speaks to the media
Italy announced the veto at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers that started on January 31 in Romania, the source said. The statement, which was supposed to be delivered by EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini recognized Guaido as interim president if snap elections were not held.
The European Parliament is the first European body to recognize Guaido "as the only legitimate interim president of the country until new free, transparent and credible presidential elections can be called in order to restore democracy."
The parliament urged the EU to follow suit but the effort stalled due to internal discord. A range of European nations have separately recognized the opposition chief as Venezuela's acting president, including the UK, France, Sweden, Spain, and Austria.
Comment: It seems these days Italy is one of the few voices for sanity in Europe. Regardless, RT reports that Maduro proposed early parliamentary elections, and if the previous election is anything to go by, pending any vote rigging, he stands a good chance of winning, again.
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And check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: US Regime Change Operation in Venezuela - This Time It's Legit?