Skip to main content
CNN

Venezuela cutting off contact with U.S. diplomat, foreign minister says

By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
updated 12:53 AM EDT, Thu March 21, 2013
Venezuelan foreign minister Elias Jaua holds a photo of Hugo Chavez during a tribute on March 13 at the U.N. in New York.
Venezuelan foreign minister Elias Jaua holds a photo of Hugo Chavez during a tribute on March 13 at the U.N. in New York.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Venezuela's foreign minister says the United States is trying to interfere in elections
  • He says his government is cutting off contact with a top U.S. diplomat
  • The United States has denied recent allegations of plots to destabilize Venezuela

(CNN) -- Venezuela is cutting off contact with a top U.S. diplomat, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Wednesday that his country's representatives would no longer be talking about improving U.S.-Venezuela relations with Roberta Jacobson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Jaua accused the United States of trying to interfere with Venezuela's upcoming presidential election and criticized comments Jacobson made about the April 14 vote in an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper.

The United States has been denying a steady stream of accusations from top Venezuelan officials since President Hugo Chavez's death on March 5.

"The United States categorically rejects allegations of any U.S. government involvement in any plots to destabilize the Venezuelan government or to harm anyone in Venezuela," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
CNN Recommends
updated 3:14 PM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is using his hero status to fight human trafficking in the Philippines, pushing for an anti-trafficking law.
updated 6:25 PM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
The U.N. says 70% of rapes committed in Somalia are carried out by men in military uniform. CNN's Nima Elbagir reports.
updated 8:38 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Christiane Amanpour writes an open letter to girls of the world, saying it is time to end the discrimination against girls in education.
updated 3:12 PM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Fans gasped when David Beckham wore a sarong. Then there was the nail polish and tattoos. But his masculinity was never in doubt.
updated 10:54 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Albinos in Tanzania have been attacked and killed because some people believe their body parts bring good luck. But one albino is fighting back.
updated 8:50 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Terrible results for Dell mean the future seems anything but bright for the PC industry despite a flurry of attempted innovations.
updated 12:00 PM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Mario Balotelli has delivered his verdict on his time in the English Premier League -- the AC Milan striker couldn't be happier to have left England.
updated 7:04 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
If you thought Preakness was the poor sister to Kentucky Derby, think again. CNN brings you top five facts from the prestigious horse race.
updated 7:45 PM EDT, Wed May 15, 2013
Natasha Kampusch was held for eight years in an Austrian man's basement. She talks about her road to recovery, exclusively to CNN.
updated 5:36 PM EDT, Wed May 15, 2013
From her hospital bed, Reshma tells CNN about the 17 days she spent trapped under nine stories of rubble in Bangladesh.
updated 6:12 PM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
A room full of partygoers in San Francisco were given power over a cocktail-making robot controlled by their smartphones.
updated 11:57 AM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
The cast of "Star Trek Into Darkness" take a break from fighting space villains to answer questions from CNN iReporters.
updated 7:48 AM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
CNN brings you images capturing moments to remember. Look ahead to the future and chronicle our changing world.
ADVERTISEMENT