US names new Venezuela envoy despite broken ties

Washington, Nov 19 (IANS) For the first time in a decade, the US confirmed the nomination of its new aambassador to Venezuela in a Senate voice vote, despite the two countries severing their diplomatic ties last year.James Story, who was confirmed as the Ambassador after the vote on Wednesday, had been serving as the Charge d' Affaires for the Venezuela Affairs Unit at the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, after the Washington withdrew all its diplomats from its Caracas mission, reports Xinhua news agency.The US and Venezuela stopped exchanging ambassadors in 2010. In 2019, the two nations severed their diplomatic relations shortly after Washington announced its backing of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's leader.
--IANS ksk/