Rowley blasts Opposition for undermining foreign policy

SHANE SUPERVILLE and JULIEN NEAVES

THE PRIME Minister, responding to questions about TT’s stance on trading with Venezuela, blasted Naparima MP Rodney Charles and accused the Opposition of trying to undermine TT’s foreign policy.

Dr Rowley was responding to a prime minister’s question in the House Friday on whether or not TT was standing by its position that it is not bound by sanctions imposed by the Rio Treaty in light of recent warnings by a senior US envoy.

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

Rowley replied: “Notwithstanding the best efforts by of my colleagues on the other side to create a disturbance between TT and the US, 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 had traded fuel to Venezuela.

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

He stressed that TT acknowledged under the UN Charter that the sitting government of Venezuela is the Maduro government. He added that whenever any agency like the Organisation of American States (OAS) allowed Guaido and his representatives to participate in decisions those decisions are queried by this country.

“And we reserve our position on that. And that is punto final.” In January last year, the OAS permanent council agreed not to recognise the legitimacy of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s new term and to impose sanctions on the country. TT, however, abstained from the vote.

Charles said the US (reportedly the US State Department) has stated if TT did not wish to abide by the sanctions then the country should withdraw from the Rio Treaty, and he asked the Prime Minister if Government intended to withdraw.

Rowley replied: “These parliamentarians are coming here and telling me that ‘the US say.’ Is that how they make policy for TT? ‘The US say’? I thought he would get up here and say that TT said what I have just said – we took a position, which is our right, not to acknowledge Guaido as the president of Venezuela.

And you are coming here and telling me ‘the US say’? “I wish my colleagues on the other side 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.”

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal asked if this country, without a Cabinet decision, wrote the OAS seeking to register reservation to the decisions taken in January, but the country in fact remained bound to the decisions by the international body regarding the Rio Treaty.

Rowley replied that the Foreign Affairs Minister and his team are part of the Cabinet regarding these decisions and any attempt to separate them from the Cabinet is “puerile and dangerous”.

Charles asked if it was in TT’s best interest for there to be policy dissonance with the government’s position on sanctions and that of the US, the country’s largest trading partner, as well as advice given to local businesses by a senior US envoy.

Rowley said a position taken by TT was being attacked by members of the House of Parliament on the grounds that another country has an issue with it.

“TT is a responsible country acting responsibly and notwithstanding the best effort of the Opposition we maintain our best relation with the US. These people for real?”

Moonilal then asked if the Prime Minister was aware that the position he was articulating is in contradiction to the Venezuelan constitution “and you are undermining the national interest of TT?” House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George did not allow the question and ruled that Moonilal was out of order.