Insider sources have exclusively revealed to VHeadline.com Venezuela that dozens, even hundreds of Venezuelan embassy employees around the world risk losing their jobs in a purge that has already been initiated at the Foreign Ministry (MRE) in Caracas .. and the crackdown could easily be extended to include Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) personnel at home and abroad.

MRE personnel chiefs are said to going through employment records with a fine toothcomb to determine who must go and who may stay.

The major shift in employment policy comes after long-standing complaints that a number of foreign service staffers at both diplomatic and lower levels, have been working surreptitiously against government policy, showing greater allegiance to opposition saboteurs than to the Government of the Venezuelan Republic that they are supposed to represent abroad.

President Hugo Chavez Frias

Several Venezuelan ambassadors abroad — who appear to have greater allegiances to the customary practices of previous (corrupt) regimes — have either lodged complaints that they are now expected to represent the social-economic revolution taking place under President Hugo Chavez Frias reform government or attempted to maintain a low profile in their diplomatic postings hoping they may last through to cash in on lucrative retirement packages and a handful of Venezuelan ambassadors have taken the personal decision to resign instead.

Most worrying to MRE executives in Caracas appears to be a system of 'Morrocoy' (snail's pace) or unofficial work to rule that has infiltrated some levels of embassy administrations, thwarting routine operations and crippling diplomatic efforts to promote what is truly happening in Venezuela these days.

One ambassador, in a leading position in one of the world's major capitals, is so afraid of jeopardizing his pension prospects that he refuses to get involved in anything remotely to be seen as promoting the political interests of the Venezuelan government under President Chavez Frias and hurried to resign from the nominal presidency of a pro-Venezuela friendship association allegedly because it had sought to clarify his role as a government representative.

Jesus Arnoldo Perez

The revelations come hot on the heels of rumors of Foreign Minister (MRE) Jesus Arnoldo Perez' imminent replacement at the top by Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) president Ali Rodriguez Araque and other changes augured within the President's Council of Ministers which may be announced as early as this Friday.

Whichever way, VHeadline.com sources say that a significant number of 'disloyal' foreign embassy personnel are on a 'watch list' and will soon be asked to return to Caracas or find themselves out of a job as the Foreign Ministry seeks to ensure that key staffers will work resolutely for Venezuela's future and to refrain from giving support to those whose key aim is to sabotage the interests of Venezuela's democratically-elected government.