Venezuela revokes Brazil's authority to represent Argentine interests in the country

Venezuela claims embassy was used to plan assassinations

Brazil insists on defending Argentine interests until a new state is elected

Brazil and Argentina call on Venezuela to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

Argentina's Foreign Ministry calls on ICC to issue arrest warrant against Maduro

(Adds Argentina’s statement in paragraphs 3-4)

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Vivian Sequera

BRASILIA/CARACAS, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Venezuela has stripped Brazil of its authority to represent Argentine interests in the country, including the administration of the embassy where six opposition leaders are taking refuge, the Venezuelan government said on Saturday.

Venezuela said in a statement that the decision was effective “immediately” and was based on evidence that the embassy was used to plan assassination attempts on President Nicolás Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez Gómez.

Brazil said it received the announcement “with surprise” and Argentina said shortly afterwards that it rejected Venezuela's “unilateral” decision. Both countries called on Maduro to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“Any attempt to enter our official residences or kidnap asylum seekers is strongly condemned by the international community,” Argentina said in a statement. “Actions like these reinforce the belief that basic human rights are not respected in Maduro's Venezuela.”

Brazil insisted in its statement that it would remain in custody and defend Argentine interests until Argentina designated another state acceptable to Venezuela to do so.

“The Brazilian government stresses in this context that the facilities of the Argentine diplomatic mission are inviolable in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Conventions,” the letter continued. The mission houses six Venezuelan asylum seekers as well as assets and archives.

Reuters was the first to report on the escalation in the dispute between the South American countries.

On Friday evening, some opposition figures in the Argentine residence reported on their X-accounts that the building was under surveillance and had no electricity. They published videos showing men dressed in black and patrols from the state secret service SEBIN.

In March, six people applied for asylum at the Argentine embassy in Caracas after a prosecutor ordered their arrest. They were accused of conspiracy, among other things. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has denied the accusations against her collaborators.

On Friday, Argentina's Foreign Ministry called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Nicolás Maduro and other senior government officials over events following the July elections.

Venezuela has severed relations with Argentina following the controversial presidential election on July 28. Brazil, as well as Colombia and Mexico, have called on the Venezuelan government to publish the full election results.

The government did not do so, and the country's electoral authority announced that President Nicolás Maduro had been re-elected for a third term. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia and Vivian Sequera in Caracas; additional reporting by Jorge Otaola in Buenos Aires; Writing by Alexander Villegas and Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Franklin Paul)