18 Countries Issue Call For Defense Of United Nations Charter

The Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter held its first ministerial meeting at Venezuela’s UN Mission in New York City on Thursday, September 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. The 18-country group adopted a declaration which outlines a policy in favor of respecting the UN charter.

The statement says, “The UN Charter and its purposes and principles remain timeless, universal, and that all are indispensable, not only to preserve and promote international peace and security, the rule of law, the economic development and social progress, but also human rights and to achieve a more peaceful, prosperous, just and equitable world.”

The group’s members currently are Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Nicaragua, Palestine, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Syria.

Continue reading

CELAC To Choose Between Dignity Or OAS’ Monroe Doctrine

After five years without meeting, Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will convene on Saturday for the VI Summit in Mexico City.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose late Friday arrival upstaged all other participants of the Summit, has submitted a proposal to his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to create a General Secretariat of CELAC and appoint a consensus Secretary General based in Mexico. President Maduro says the new institutional framework is necessary for CELAC in the context of the debate taking place on the Organization of American States (OAS) and CELAC.

“It is the old debate between Monroeism (Monroe Doctrine) and Bolivarianism, between Latin America and the Caribbean. Our America and the other America, the imperial America,” he said.

Continue reading

Hush, Hush (Venezuela Is Winning!)

By now it is obvious that the mainstream media does not cover any good news whatsoever about Venezuela.  Even non-political issues are always accompanied by a poisoned cliché sentence or two about “dictator”, “authoritarian regime”, “collapsed economy” “humanitarian crisis”, etc. etc.

So, the game-changing news that there are peace talks being held in México City between the Venezuelan government and opposition parties is ignored.  México is acting as host and facilitator with the kingdoms of Norway and Netherlands, and the Russian Federation as mediators. This seminal event has been scarcely reported by the North American media or commented on by politicians. Not a peep. Perhaps it is because neither the USA nor Canada have been permitted to be part of these negotiations, although certainly the USA has tried, and failed, to worm itself in.

Continue reading

UN Human Rights Chief Calls For Venezuela Sanctions Relief

Mexico City, Mexico – Michelle Bachelet, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on Monday for sectoral sanctions against Venezuela to be lifted.

“I reiterate my call for sectoral sanctions to be lifted,” the former Chilean president said, recalling the negative impact of the measures on the Caribbean nation’s economy.

The High Commissioner’s call came during the opening of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council where she presented her report on the human rights situation in Venezuela. Bachelet also expressed her support for the ongoing dialogue between the government and the US-backed opposition being held in Mexico.

Venezuela welcomed Bachelet’s appeal for unilateral coercive measures to be lifted but took exception to what Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Héctor Constant Rosales, called the “politicization” of the High Commissioner’s report.

Continue reading

Alex Saab Defence Team Confident Of Achieving His Release

Femi Falana, SAN, who heads up Alex Saab’s ECOWAS Defence commented “Contrary to some of the statements which have been made in the media, the legal process is far from over and His Excellency Alex Saab will not be going to the United States any time soon. The decision of the Constitutional Court on 7 September is leaves many legal ambiguities and my colleague Dr Jose Manuel Pinto Monteiro will be seeking clarification from the Court by way of an urgent submission this afternoon.” 

Dr Rutsel S.J. Martha, Interpol’s former Head of Legal Affairs, highlighted the fact that no arrest warrant issued at the time of Alex Saab’s arrest on 12 June 2020, which despite the attempt by the Constitutional Court to brush this aside as an inconvenience, cannot be ignored as it is an absolute must, as required by Cape Verde’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Continue reading

Cape Verde’s Top Court Approves Maduro Envoy’s Extradition To US

Praia – Cape Verde’s highest court ruled on Tuesday that Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who is wanted by U.S. authorities on charges of laundering money on behalf of Venezuela’s government, should be extradited to the United States.

Saab, who is close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was detained in Cape Verde in June 2020 when his plane stopped there to refuel. He faces extradition to the United States, which accuses him of violating U.S. sanctions.

Saab’s lawyers have called the U.S. charges “politically motivated.”

A West African regional court ruled in March that Saab’s detention was illegal because an Interpol red notice requesting his arrest was only issued the day after he was detained.

Continue reading

Venezuela Dialogue Offers Way Out Of Crisis

There are high hopes surrounding the upcoming round of negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the extreme right-wing of the opposition. The sides are set to meet on September 3 in Mexico after having signed a memorandum of understanding in August.

That document established a 7-point agenda with a broad scope that encompasses elections, political rights and the economy, among others. It calls for lifting the sanctions and ending violent coup attempts. These talks have the potential to end years of political and economic instability caused in large part by U.S. intervention.

Despite the intense pressure imposed by the Trump administration, the Maduro government enters the talks in its strongest position in years. The governing PSUV party swept legislative elections in 2020.

Continue reading

Western Powers Undermine Haiti, Venezuela Shows Solidarity

On August 14, Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake originating from the southern Tiburon Peninsula, 150 kilometres from the capital, Port-au-Prince.  World leaders issued statements of solidarity, international charities began encouraging donations, and the United Nations started organizing emergency aid funds to assist the country.  Articles on this ongoing tragedy often emphasis two prior catastrophes which have compounded the quake’s impact on the Haitian people: the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. 

In such analyses, it is taken for granted that Global North countries and the United Nations should lead the international response to the disaster.

Continue reading

Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab Fights Latest US Extradition Maneuvers

Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab remains defiant after over 14 months under US-ordered arrest in the African archipelago country of Cabo Verde. A special envoy of the Venezuelan government, he is fighting extradition to the US for the “crime” of trying to procure humanitarian supplies of food, fuel, and medicine from Iran in violation of illegal US sanctions. To date, Saab’s legal appeals for freedom have been either denied, rejected, or ignored as his extradition to the US is becoming increasingly imminent.

Saab continues to fight this flagrant attempt of extra-territorial judicial overreach by the US. In response to Saab’s recent appeal to the US 11th Circuit Court, the US filed on August 24 an application for an extension to reply on October 7. This legal delaying tactic is likely a US ploy to allow Saab’s pending extradition without recognizing his diplomatic immunity.

Continue reading

Venezuela Is The Fifth Country With Most ‘Sanctions’ In The World

Venezuela has submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) a new report containing evidence on the damage caused by the illegal sanctions—the unilateral coercive measures imposed by authorities of the United States and the European Union. The report also provides evidence on how the United States government and the European Union have intentionally issued them in order to make the Venezuelan people suffer painful situations, to create conditions for overthrowing the constitutionally elected government of President Maduro. This was announced by the Executive Vice President of the Republic, Delcy Rodríguez, at a press conference at the Miraflores Palace on Tuesday, August 24.

Continue reading

MintPress News Confronts Senator Cruz On Murderous US Sanctions

Las Vegas — On Saturday, MintPress News’ Ben Rubinstein ran into Senator Ted Cruz at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. Recognizing the senator’s long-standing support for economic warfare on the Global South via unilateral coercive measures, or sanctions, Rubinstein jumped at the chance to confront Cruz.

“Senator, can you tell me how you feel about the sanctions on Venezuela that have killed 40,000 people?” he asked. But Cruz refused to address the question, telling Rubinstein that “it’s good to see you.”

“How many more deaths are you willing to justify?” Rubinstein continued to press.

Deflecting again, Cruz responded that “it’s interesting you’re defending [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro and socialists.”

Continue reading

Latin American Socialism And The Fight Against COVID-19

Latin America has been one of the regions worst-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, in every sense. Not only are countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Peru suffering epidemiological catastrophes, the result of right-wing neoliberal policies, but the World Bank and other financial institutions have reported that the region has suffered the most serious economic crisis as a result of the pandemic. The 2020s in Latin America are set to be a “lost decade,” with little social, economic, or political advancement in a number of nations. The failures of capitalism have become glaringly obvious during COVID-19, even though they were already apparent prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. And while there has been an overwhelming focus on the deaths, violence, and instability wracking numerous Latin American states, far less attention has been paid to the three countries that have, against all odds, defied this norm: Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Continue reading

Here’s The Agenda For Venezuela’s Peace Talks In Mexico

The Bolivarian government of Venezuela and representatives of the US-backed opposition have officially begun a new dialogue process in Mexico, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

The negotiation and dialogue process was inaugurated on Friday evening at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, as the two Venezuelan negotiating parties signed the Memorandum.

Heading the delegation representing the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela, is Jorge Rodriguez, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, who also led the government delegation in the 2018 Dominican Republic dialogue on behalf of President Nicolas Maduro.

Attorney Gerardo Blyde is heading the Venezuelan oppositions’ Plataforma Unitaria de Venezuela and Dag Nylander, head of the Facilitation Team of the Kingdom of Norway, signed the agreement on behalf of Norway.

Continue reading

Venezuela Rejects Accusations Of Former ICC Prosecutor

This Thursday, August 12, Venezuela’s Public Ministry (MP) rejected as worthless the accusations issued by the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, after she irresponsibly ignored the collaboration of the Venezuelan authorities in the Venezuela I case filed by the near-defunct Lima Group accusing Venezuelan authorities of human rights violations.

From his Twitter account, the Attorney General of Venezuela Tarek William Saab published a statement in which he repudiated the statement of the former ICC prosecutor regarding the preliminary examination underway on Venezuela.

In Bensouda’s statement, she had said that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe that since April 2017 various Venezuelan authorities had committed crimes against humanity.

Continue reading

Perú On The Lima Group

A few days after the inauguration of Pedro Castillo, the Peruvian government has changed the official position that its predecessors maintained regarding the internal affairs of Venezuela. Yesterday Perú’s newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Héctor Béjar pointed out that the policy of the new government will be opposition to blockades and “sanctions.”

Commenting on the future of the Lima Group directed by the US and formed under Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-18), who is currently under house arrest, Béjar noted that there are already several countries of the interventionist group that changed their position on Venezuela. The Lima Group represented an attempt to bring together countries that did not recognize Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro as the rightful head of state of the Bolivarian Republic.

Continue reading