Venezuela snubs regional powers

Venezuela says it is quitting the Organization of American States in anger at pressure from the bloc over the government's handling of a deadly political crisis.

The announcement late Wednesday raised international tension over Venezuela, where unrest has left 28 people dead this month.

Echoed by the United States and European Union, the OAS has led an international chorus of concern over the economic and political chaos in the major oil-exporting country.

Bristling at the pressure, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said late Wednesday the government would launch a two-year process to pull out of the Washington-based regional diplomatic grouping.

She branded the OAS an "interventionist coalition" led by Washington.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro has dubbed Venezuela's Maduro a "dictator" for stifling the opposition.

On Wednesday, the permanent council of the 35-nation OAS agreed to hold a meeting of their foreign ministers to discuss the crisis -- a decision Venezuela had forewarned would prompt it to exit.