Venezuelan president expels 3 US diplomats

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro ordered the expulsion of three US diplomats Monday, accusing them of plotting with the opposition to sabotage the economy and the power grid. Maduro said he instructed Foreign Minister Elias Jaua to throw out the diplomats. "The officials have 48 hours to leave the country. ... Yankees go home," the leftist leader said in a public address. Maduro named the diplomats but did not disclose which posts they are holding. A US embassy official contacted by AFP was unable to confirm if they worked there. The president said the diplomats had met with the "Venezuelan far-right" -- as he calls the opposition -- to finance his opponents and "encourage actions to sabotage the power system and the economy." Venezuela has endured blackouts for years, and the government has accused the opposition of plotting outages before. Earlier this month, Maduro blamed the opposition for causing a major power breakdown that affected much of the country. "The actions of the government of Barack Obama do not matter," Maduro said Monday, accusing the US president of fomenting sabotage. "We will not allow an imperial government to bring money and see how they can stop basic companies and stop the electricity to turn off all of Venezuela." Maduro had expelled two US military attaches on March 5, hours before announcing the death of president Hugo Chavez, accusing them of promoting "destabilization projects." The United States and Venezuela have been without mutual ambassadors since 2010, but Washington remains the main buyer of Venezuelan oil.