Brazil backs Venezuela opposition leader Guaido's push to overthrow Maduro -minister

Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said on Tuesday that his country supports a democratic transition in Venezuela, and said his government expects its neighbor's military to get behind opposition leader Juan Guaido and push President Nicolas Maduro out of power.

Araujo's remarks at a news conference came hours after Guaido said he had begun the "final phase" of his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro. "Brazil supports the democratic transition process and hopes the Venezuelan military will be part of that," Araujo said. He added that it was "positive" to see movement of some Venezuelan military toward recognizing Guaido as the legitimate president of their country.

President Jair Bolsonaro has called a meeting to discuss the situation in Venezuela as the government receives information on developments there, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told reporters. Brazil is one of dozens of Western countries that have recognized Guaido as the interim leader of Venezuela, but it has opposed military intervention there to overthrow Maduro's socialist government. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes and Anthony Boadle Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)