Venezuela imposes limits on US diplomats, requires tourist visas

Venezuela has announced measures to limit the number of US diplomats working in the country, and will require American citizens to apply for visas if they want to come bask on the beach.
Speaking before a crowd that rallied to protest imperialism, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that US meddling had forced him to adopt the series of restrictive measures, which include requiring US diplomats to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct here.
Maduro said he was imposing the new tourist visa requirement for national security reasons, saying that in recent days authorities had detained several US citizens who he alleged were involved in espionage, including an American pilot.
The Preisdent said that the US government had 100 employees working in Venezuela whereas Venezuela had 17 based in the US.
Maduro said Venezuela would be charging Americans the same rates for visa as those levied on Venezuelans wishing to visit the United States.
A list of banned politicians would include George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio.
Maduro said these were all men who had violated human rights and encouraged terrorism, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Earlier this month the United States imposed visa restrictions on unnamed Venezuelan officials it accused of human rights violations and corruption.
The move builds on sanctions imposed last year on Venezuelan officials alleged to have violated the rights of protesters during demonstrations that shook the country in the first six months of 2014.
The list of officials banned from entering the US was extended to include family members.
Earlier this month, President Maduro accused the US of working with opposition groups to stage what he said was a coup that involved bombing the presidential palace.
Washington rejected the accusations as ludicrous.
The two countries have not exchanged ambassadors for the last five years.