Int'l community calls for restraint, talks after coup attempt in Venezuela

BEIJING -- In his address to the nation on Tuesday night, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro claimed the "coup" led by opposition leader Juan Guaido had been defeated.

Nevertheless, world leaders urged restraint and political settlement by Venezuela's political parties as the uprising has aroused concern worldwide.

THWARTED UPRISING

On Tuesday, Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido, who had proclaimed himself as Venezuela's interim president, reportedly called on the Venezuelan people and military to take to the streets to overthrow Maduro.

In response, Maduro tweeted that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."

Later in the day, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said security forces had succeeded in frustrating an attempted coup thanks to "intelligence" work, describing the scale of the rebellion as "very small" and "insignificant."

In a televised address on Tuesday night, Maduro declared that the "coup" had been defeated and called on other countries "which continue to support the coup opposition" to rectify their positions.

GLOBAL REACTIONS

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Venezuela to avoid violence and restore calm.

"The secretary-general urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing.

Also on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Venezuelan crisis should be resolved via a responsible negotiation process without preconditions.

"We call on all sides to renounce the use of violence. It is important to avoid disorder and bloodshed," the statement read.

Any actions should be taken exclusively within the confines of the law, in strict conformity with the Constitution and without destructive interference from outside the country, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned the coup attempt, tweeting, "As a country which has experienced the negative consequences caused by coups, we condemn the coup bid in Venezuela."

The United States, the first country to recognize Guaido and one that openly seeks to depose Maduro, has renewed its support to the Venezuelan opposition.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that he was closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, while Vice President Mike Pence and State Secretary Mike Pompeo have both demonstrated their support for Guaido via Twitter.