France Condemns "Capture" of Venezuelan President as Illegal

France has declared that the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by his own security forces violates international law. The statement came from French Minister Delegate for Europe, Jean-Noël Barrot. He emphasized that external forces cannot impose a political solution for Venezuela. "No lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside," Barrot stated. He added that "sovereign peoples alone decide their own future." The comment follows reports that members of Venezuela's military and intelligence service detained President Maduro at the presidential palace. The incident is part of an alleged internal coup attempt. France's position reinforces a core principle of international relations: national sovereignty. This principle protects states from external interference in their domestic politics.