Colombian Ambassador to Venezuela German Bula said on Wednesday that Carmona would leave on a commercial flight to Bogota after he was granted safe conduct out of the country by the Venezuelan government. Amid tight security, Carmona departed on a Colombian military aircraft bound for Bogota from Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, local television and radio media reported.
A leading opposition figure, Carmona was sworn in as president of the interim government that replaced Chavez in mid-April after rebel civilian and military leaders briefly toppled the left-wing leader. Venezuela's security police detained Carmona after loyal troops restored Chavez to power 48 hours later.
Chavez, a former paratrooper elected in 1998 on a platform of social reform, still faces opposition calls for his resignation. More than six weeks after the short-lived coup, his supporters and critics remain bitterly divided over the killings that triggered the coup. [End]