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Breaking the ice
Betty Henderson
IN a remarkable thawing of relations, the new ambassadors of Venezuela and Nicaragua to Spain presented their credentials to King Felipe VI on Wednesday, May 17.
This ceremonial act marks the end of years of political and diplomatic disagreements between Spain and the two Latin American countries. The Venezuelan ambassador to Spain is Coromoto Godoy Calderón, a 57yearold diplomat and lawyer. The new head of the Nicaraguan mission is Maurizio Gelli, a 64 year old Italianborn diplomat recently naturalised as Nicaraguan.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry hailed this event as the result of their commitment to reinstate friendly relations and cooperation with Spain, dubbing it ‘Poetry for Peace’ on social media. Godoy has already been serving as the Venezuelan Chargé d’Affaires in Spain for a year.
These diplomatic break
IN a groundbreaking decision, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled in favour of the exiled President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, on Thursday, May 18. The UNHRC stated that Spain unlawfully stripped him of his parliamentary seat without a valid legal basis.
The committee concluded that Spain violated Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which safeguards every national’s right to participate in public affairs, vote, stand for office, and have access to public service.
The UN has demanded that Spain provide information within 180 days on the measures taken to prevent similar violations from occurring in throughs come after years of tensions. Spain’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president strained relations with the country, but recent negotiations have prompted a shift toward engaging with Nicolás Maduro’s government. Similarly, Nicaragua’s political repression and human rights violations prompted Spain to withdraw its ambassador, but discussions are underway for normalisation of political and economic relations.
Political foul play
the future.
This landmark decision comes five years after British lawyer Ben Emmerson lodged a complaint with the UN on Puigedemont’s behalf. Emmerson said the blocking of Puigdemont’s candidacy for the presidency of Catalonia after the December 2017 elections and the suspension of his parliamentary mandate were unlawful. The UN committee agrees with Puigdemont’s complaint, but they believe that simply recognising it is enough to make up for what happened and say he is not automatically entitled to become the President.
IN an escalating disagreement over hydrogen production methods, Spain has issued a stern warning to France.
While Spain has been exporting excess electricity to its neighbour to support their domestic needs, it refuses to
