PM blasts Charles over TT foreign policy

Responding to questions about TT's stance on trading with Venezuela, the Prime Minister blasted Naparima MP Rodney Charles and accused the oppositon of trying to undermine TT's foreign policy.

Dr Rowley was responding to a question whether or not TT was bound by sanctions in place by the Rio Treaty during Friday's Lower House sitting in Parliament.

During a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) on Wednesday, Julie J Chung, US principal deputy assistant scretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, told local businesses to comply with the sanctions the US has imposed against Venezuela.

Rowley said it did not take a meeting for local businesses to know what the policy was on trading with Venezuela.

"I would go as far as to say I don't know that it took a meeting at Amcham for TT businesses to know that they don't trade with Venezuela, and that has not been happening – notwithstanding the efforts of the opposition to tell the world the vast untruth that we are trading fuel to Venezuela.

"And furthermore," he added, "let me clarify finally that TT does not recognise Juan Guaido as the president of Venezuela, nor his appointees as representing the government of Venezuela."

Rowley said the government was justified in not acknowledging Guaido as president and slammed Charles for taking positions against TT's foreign policy.

"We took a position, which is our right, not to acknowledge Guaido as the President of Venezuela, and you coming here to tell me 'The US say...'?

"Madam Speaker, I wish my colleagues would stop undermining the foreign policy of TT. There was a time in an earlier era where people in Parliament would have been put to the sword for that," Rowley said.