Venezuela halts ties with US diplomat

The Venezuelan government has cut off lines of communications with a top US diplomat ahead of the country’s upcoming presidential election.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua made the announcement regarding US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson at a press conference held in capital Caracas on Wednesday.

“This channel of communication is suspended at this time, deferred until there is a clear message on what type of relationship the United States wants with Venezuela,” Jaua said, adding, “It makes no sense to continue wasting time.”

The Venezuelan foreign minister slammed Jacobson’d remarks as intervention saying, “Let’s hope they rectify, let’s hope the interference in internal affairs ceases.”

However, he said diplomatic and consular relations between the two countries would continue.

The US Embassy in Caracas did not reply to a request for comment until Wednesday afternoon.

Jacobson had called for open, fair, and transparent elections in Venezuela.

Venezuela will hold a presidential election on April 14 to vote for a replacement for late President Hugo Chavez.

Acting President Nicolas Maduro will run as a candidate for the ruling party and Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in an election in October 2012, will run against him.

Venezuela and the US have not had any ambassadors in each other’s capitals since 2010.