By Nawal Sayed
CAIRO, March 5 (SEE) - Venezuela's self-declared interim leader Juan Guaido arrived back in the capital, Caracas, to a rapturous welcome from thousands of supporters.
He faces arrest after defying a Supreme Court-imposed travel ban to leave the country and lobby for international help.
"They threatened us and here we are, putting forward our face for Venezuela," he told a huge rally.
Guaido called on President Nicolas Maduro to resign.
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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to supporters during a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins[/caption]
Guaido, who heads the opposition, led National Assembly and proclaimed himself Venezuela's acting president after the legislature declared Maduro's May 2018 re-election illegitimate; he has been recognized by more than 50 countries.
Maduro, who is backed by China, Russia and Cuba, insists he is the only legitimate president.
He denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup.
Shortly before his return on Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence sent a warning to Maduro, saying any threats against Guaido "will not be tolerated and will be met with swift response".
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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to the media after his arrival at the Simon Bolivar International airport in Caracas, Venezuela March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso[/caption]
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said that any measure that put at risk Mr Guaido's "freedom, safety or personal integrity would represent a major escalation of tensions".
In a different context, Guaido named Harvard University economist Ricardo Hausmann as the country's representative to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB.)
The regional lender confirmed it had received a letter from Guaido naming Hausmann and said it was considering how to proceed, Reuters reported.
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FILE PHOTO: Ricardo Hausmann from Harvard University speaks on Day 1 of Securing Sport 2015 - the annual conference of the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS). Photo Andrew Kelly for ICSS/File Photo[/caption]
Venezuela poses a tricky problem for the Washington-based lender, whose charter prevents its board from discussing internal political issue of member states. If the board agrees to accept Guaido's representative, it would be the first financial institution to make such a move.
Hausmann, an economics professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, served as Venezuela's planning minister and as a member of the board of the country's central bank in the 1990s. He has also served as the country's governor for the IDB and World Bank, and was the IDB's chief economist for several years.
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