UPDATE 2-Eleven Venezuela diplomats in U.S. defect since last month -opposition

Eleven Venezuelan diplomats in the United States have defected from President Nicolas Maduro's government since opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president last month, a representative of the opposition said on Thursday.

Gustavo Marcano, senior aide to the Venezuelan opposition's envoy to Washington, told reporters that bank accounts for Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the United States had been frozen and that Maduro's diplomatic network in the country had ceased to function. The opposition was working to restore consular services in the United States, Marcano said. The 11 defections are out of a total of 56 Venezuelan diplomats in the country.

Carlos Vecchio, the opposition's envoy to the United States, told reporters that those who defected from Maduro's government would continue to be employed under Guaido's interim government. The opposition's news conference, held at a Washington think tank, was briefly interrupted by a pair of protesters from the activist group Code Pink. One woman shouted that Guaido's team was a "fraud" and was part of a U.S.-orchestrated coup. Another unfurled a large banner that said "no coup in Venezuela."

Maduro accuses the Trump administration, which recognizes Guaido but has levied crippling sanctions against the Venezuelan government, of seeking to force his ouster. Guaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency on Jan. 23. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick and Luc Cohen; Writing by Meredith Mazzilli; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Cynthia Osterman)

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