The United States blamed Venezuela's government on Monday for protests against the U.S. ambassador and threatened to restrict the movements of Venezuela's envoy to Washington if such "thuggery" continued, Reuters reported. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Venezuela's government, which has been at constant loggerheads with Washington, must live up to its international obligations and provide protection for U.S. diplomats or face retaliatory action. "I think that there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences between our two countries. And I think that the Venezuelan ambassador might find his ability to move around the United States severely restricted," McCormack told reporters. Last Friday, supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lobbed eggs, fruit and vegetables at the U.S. ambassador's car in a poor neighborhood in Caracas. It was the third time in the past month that U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield has faced open antagonism at public events.
