UN rep: Trinidad and Tobago ‘equally committed’ to US, Venezuela

DR NEIL PARSAN, TT’s permanent representative to the UN, said TT has an equal commitment to both the US and Venezuela, at a UN Security Council emergency meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on January 5.

He thanked Security Council for convening the urgent meeting after recent developments in Venezuela.

The US military on January 3 snatched Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas and took the couple to New York to face drug trafficking charges, where they pleaded “not guilty.”

US President Donald Trump said the US will run Venezuela, while Venezuela installed former vice president Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader.

Parsan said the TT delegation was addressing the council as a Caribbean nation, a neighbour of Venezuela and a long-standing advocate for peaceful co-existence and the rule of law.

He said the government has noted the US military operations in Venezuela. “We remain committed to co-operative efforts led by the US to disrupt and dismantle networks that enable transnational crime across the Americas, whose activities have had debilitating effects on the security and stability of the region.”

He said TT supported initiatives to strengthen regional security, reinforce the rule of law and safeguard the well-being of our societies. “The government of Trinidad and Tobago, while valuing its long-standing and robust partnership with the US, remains equally committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and continues to uphold peaceful relations with the people of Venezuela.

“The delegation of TT wishes to underscore its long-standing relationship with both the US and Venezuela and stands ready to work collaboratively with all partners who share the aspiration of a safer, more prosperous and stable hemisphere.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he is “deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the January 3 military action.”

He said the “grave” action by the US could set a precedent for how future relations between nations unfold.