Venezuela cutting contact with US diplomat

Foreign minister accuses US of trying to interfere with upcoming election

Author: By Catherine E. Shoichet CNN
Published On: Mar 20 2013 07:55:22 PM CDT   Updated On: Mar 20 2013 09:32:45 PM CDT
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(CNN) -

Venezuela is cutting off contact with a top U.S. diplomat, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Wednesday that his country's representatives would no longer be talking about improving U.S.-Venezuela relations with Roberta Jacobson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Jaua accused the United States of trying to interfere with Venezuela's upcoming presidential election and criticized comments Jacobson made about the April 14 vote in an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper.

The United States has been denying a steady stream of accusations from top Venezuelan officials since President Hugo Chavez's death on March 5.

"The United States categorically rejects allegations of any U.S. government involvement in any plots to destabilize the Venezuelan government or to harm anyone in Venezuela," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday.

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