Bolivarian Government of Venezuela
Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs
Vol. 3: Issue 47, 5th December, 2017
Embassies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the World
Weekly Newsletter Key US allies warn Trump about Jerusalem announcement
Inside This Issue 1. Key US allies warn Trump about Jerusalem announcement
Two major US allies registered their concern about reported plans by President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem, in whole or in part, as the capital of Israel. The announcement, expected this week, would fulfill a Trump campaign promise -- one made by previous presidents and then set aside because of regional concerns and Jerusalem's contested status between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides claim the holy city as their capital. The resistance from allies is reportedly leading to debate within the administration on how to balance the move with recognition of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem and may delay an announcement, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. "Any announcement prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region," Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, said in a statement to CNN. In a phone call with Trump on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar thoughts, according to a readout provided by the French Foreign Ministry. The French President shared his concern about the possibility that the United States might unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to the statement.
establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as their capital," the statement said. White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley, briefing reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, addressed the question of whether Trump will act to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but didn't take up the question of recognition. "The President has been clear on this issue from the get-go that it's not a matter of if but a matter of when. No action, though, will be taken on the waiver today. And we will declare a decision on the waiver in the coming days," Gidley said. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 requires the embassy to be moved to Jerusalem or face the financial penalty of losing half the State Department's appropriated funding for the acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad. Every six months, however, presidents can sign a waiver to avoid these penalties on national security grounds. The Saudi ambassador added that Saudi Arabia was working with the Trump administration on a possible Mideast peace settlement and remains committed to a solution "based on the 1967 borders including east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. We are working with the President's peace negotiation team to achieve a fair and just settlement."
Macron reaffirmed the standard international position that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, "and particularly those relating to the
www.edition.cnn.com wtvr.com The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
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2. Jerusalem: Turkey warns Trump against crossing 'red line' 3. 'Where is the world?': Libya responds to outrage over slave auctions 4. Venezuelan Municipal Elections: December 10th 2017 5. 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya: Venezuela’s Fight against Pollution 6. Kenya praised for plastic ban at UNEA opening assembly
Jerusalem: Turkey warns Trump against crossing 'red line' The city is home to key religious sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially in East Jerusalem. Israel occupied the sector, previously occupied by Jordan, in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and according to 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, its final status is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks. Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, and all countries, including Israel's closest ally the US, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
A growing number of countries have urged Donald Trump not to make his anticipated announcement. Reports say the president will dramatically shift the US position on the status of Jerusalem this week. Its fate is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Palestinians.
If the US recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it will put it out-of-step with the rest of the international community and reinforce Israel's position that settlements in the east are valid Israeli communities.
"Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," President Erdogan said in a televised speech on Tuesday the 5th Dec. "We could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue." 1) The alternatives to a two-state solution 2) Why settlement issue is so difficult
What has been the international reaction? French President Emmanuel Macron told Donald Trump he is "concerned" the US leader could unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying any decision on its status must be "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians".
Donald Trump missed a deadline on Monday to sign a waiver which would postpone moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a campaign pledge he has delayed fulfilling.
The European Union, part of the so-called Middle East Quartet of mediators which includes the US, the UN and Russia, warned of "serious repercussions on public opinion in large parts of the world".
If Washington recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it would be the first country to do so since the foundation of the state in 1948. Israel has always regarded it as its capital city, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned it would be "a dangerous measure that would have repercussions".
Turkey and Israel restored diplomatic relations last year, six years after Turkey severed ties in protest at the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists in clashes with Israeli commandos on board a ship trying to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
Saudi Arabia said such a move before a final
settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would "have a detrimental impact on the peace process".
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has urged world leaders to intervene, saying "such a US decision would destroy the peace process".
What is so contentious about Jerusalem's status?
Jordan, custodian of Islamic sites Jerusalem, has warned of "grave consequences".
The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, who are backed by the rest of the Arab and wider Islamic world.
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www.bbc.com The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
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'Where is the world?': Libya responds to outrage over slave auctions
"The countries these migrants came from did not take them back or contribute help for them inside Libya... We have only deported 5% of the 20,000 in the detention centers because of the lack of response from the governments of where these people are from." Alpha Conde, president of the African Union and Federica Mogherini, European Union foreign policy chief, vowed to assist Libya in swiftly combating the issue of human traffickers in Libya after speaking on the phone on Monday, according to a joint press release. Libya's UN-backed government says it is investigating allegations that hundreds of African refugees and migrants passing through Libya are being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets.
Libyan officials have denounced the migrant slave auctions exposed , but claim more support is required from the global community to tackle the issue. The United Nations-backed Libyan Government of National Accord, or GNA, said it's keen to address violations against illegal immigrants but called upon regional and global partners to provide assistance.
According to reports, the trade works by preying on the tens of thousands of vulnerable people who risk everything to get to Libya's coast and then across the Mediterranean into Europe - a route that's been described as the deadliest route on earth.
Libya "is going through difficult times which affected its own citizens as well. It is, therefore, not fair to assume responsibility for the consequences of this immigration, which everyone unanimously agreed that addressing this phenomenon exceeds the national capacities," the GNA statement read.
Libya is the main gateway for people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with more than 150,000 people making the crossing in each of the past three years.
Libya promises to investigate slave trade allegations
"We affirm again that the practical solution is to address the real reasons that drive people to leave their home countries, treat them and develop final solutions for them," it continued.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry, with deep interest, observed the media reports about some criminals and inhumane individuals exploiting illegal immigrants in forced labour. While it expresses its rejection and denouncement to such inhumane practices that contradict with the Libyan People’s culture and tradition, the Foreign Ministry stresses that what has been disseminated through media outlets in this regard is under investigation by the Libyan relevant authorities in case these allegations are proved true people involved in these crimes shall be legally investigated, prosecuted and punished.
Libya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that a committee has been established to investigate the auctions but asked "the international community to intensify in a spirit of responsibility and joint cooperation to assist Libya."
Seeking help from African Union
Despite the chaotic situation in Libya, the GNA claims it's been working to combat exploitative smugglers operating in the country.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry expresses its full and explicit commitment to the stipulation of the UN Charter in this regard and affirms its adherence to the implementation of its national laws and legislations that incriminate human trafficking slavery and enslavement.
Mohammed Bisher, head of the government's AntiIllegal Immigration Authority, said detention facilities are overwhelmed and he urged countries from which migrants travel to take more responsibility. "We are 278 million Libyan dinars (nearly $210 million) in debt. We have to provide food, medicine, transportation... If the African Union wants to help, they can help," Bisher told CNN.
While Libya is very aware that it is being targeted by some regional parties in order to make it a destination of immigrants as it has repeatedly done before -warns that the superficial and useless solutions hinder its efforts for the elimination of this phenomenon and open way for organized crime gangs to carry out their criminal practices.
Bisher said Italy has been providing some assistance, coordinating with Libyan officials and, in some cases, helping with deportation but more needs to be done. "Deportation is a logistical problem between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the embassy representatives. We are ready to deport at any time," Bisher continued.
Libya also expresses its deep wonder how some parties who classify it as an area of conflict and Instability while they try to make it a shelter to receive huge numbers of immigrants .This makes us raise several questions .
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While the Foreign Ministry refers to afro mentioned, it warns of the danger of the current situation which has been utilized by criminal gangs-at the absence of common collective accountability -to obtain a source for financing their criminal and terrorist plans through forced labour, either as mediators to transfer immigrants to the other side of the Mediterranean, or to include them as fighters to the terrorists in form of mercenaries.
While it affirms that the Libyan government and people stand against such inhumane practices, the Ministry recalls that it took initiative many years ago and demanded the adoption effective policies in facing these phenomena through providing support for institutional capacity building and development projects in source countries in order to eliminate illegal immigration and immigrants trafficking and trading in humans as stated in Tripoli joint Declaration (Africa and European Union) in 2006 .
We call upon the International Community to come together with the spirit of common accountability and cooperation to help Libya in facing this imminent threat on its social and cultural fabric and indeed on all humanity . We call for the adoption of an effective solution for the causes of immigration instead of some parties utilization of such sad incidents to accuse Libya in order make up for their incapability to handle this phenomenon, and with the aim of making some gains which are realistically fake incompatible with reality and logic, and we are then facing their consequences today.
It also calls upon its regional and international partners and friends for positive and constructive cooperation in tackling these phenomena with accountability wisdom and courage. www.aljazeera.com www.edition.cnn.com Foreign Ministry, Government of National Accord Libya The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
Venezuelan Municipal Elections: December 10th 2017
The Campaign for Municipal Elections The candidates for the 335 mayors of Venezuela will begin their campaigns this Thursday 30 November 2017, with the objective of gaining the voter's support called to the elections scheduled by the National Electoral Council (CNE) for next December 10 2017.
Also, the aspirants to the Government of Zulia state -election that will also be held on December 10- start their campaign on that Thursday. According to the calendar released by the CNE for both elections, the campaign phase will continue for a period of 15 days, until December 7. In that period, the electoral meetings with the people will continue to be held, in which voters can clear up their doubts about the vote and the electoral process.
Municipal elections are to be held in Venezuela on 10th December 2017 in order to elect mayors throughout Venezuela. This is the first municipal election held since 2013, when elections were delayed from 2012 following the death of Hugo Chรกvez.
The Organic Law of Electoral Processes states in the sixth title that the electoral campaign can be developed by candidates, as well as by the political parties and groups of electors. Printed or audiovisual propaganda can be spread and exposed by all means at the candidates' disposal and only in the established period (from November 23 to December 7.) These materials must comply with specifications in terms of time and editorial space, according to the means. The aforementioned legal instrument indicates in its article 75 that propaganda that threatens the honor, privacy, own image, confidentiality and reputation of the people, promotes war, discrimination or intolerance and promotes disobedience to the laws will not be allowed.
Citizens who wished to submit their applications on their own initiative had to secure 5 percent of signatures representing the total electoral registry of their corresponding municipality. They then had to present those signatures to their electoral board. Those elected mayors will hold office from 2017 to 2021. Venezuelans believe that the Municipal Elections promote peace and stability A research project conducted by Hinterlaces from Nov. 1 to 15 among 1,580 Venezuelans revealed that the 71 percent, the great majority, support the municipal elections, while 77 percent of participants felt it was wrong for opposition parties to refuse to participate in elections. In anticipation of the municipal elections, the National Electoral Board began delivering voting machines to polling stations to allow citizens to familiarize themselves with the new equipment.
Finally, -the law adds- propaganda that discourage the exercise of the vote; that contains obscene and denigrating expressions against the organs and entities of the Public Power, institutions and public officials; that use the image, sound or the presence of girls, boys or teenagers; that threatens mental health of citizens; and that promotes stereotypes of gender discrimination or of any other type, among others will be prohibited.
The machines will be open to the public until Dec. 7, three days before the elections, and monitored by the CNE, which also distributed sample ballots on Nov. 19 so citizens could address questions prior to approaching the polling stations.
www.dev.avn.info.ve
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3rd United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya: Venezuela’s Fight against Pollution The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), in its acronym in English; of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP); was created following the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) in June 2012. This body meets the ministers of all States Parties of the United Nations (UN) every 2 years in order to take measures with a view to conserving the environment. Within the framework of the Third United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 3), which is taking place in Nairobi, Republic of Kenya, from December 4th to 6th 2017, the Deputy Minister of Ecosocialist Management of Waste and Disposal of the Ministry of the People’s Power for Ecosocialism and Water, Jesús Castillo Golding, denounced the illegal application of unilateral economic coercive measures against the people, which as a result prevents them from fighting against pollution and permanent aggressions by hegemonic powers against the homeland of Bolívar and Chávez.
He also indicated that the planet faces a deep environmental crisis due to a civilization model based on unsustainable production and consumption patterns that destroy ecosystems and produce inequity, injustice and poverty. "Capitalism has ignored for decades the capacity to load and replace natural spaces. The Venezuelan people decided to face this crisis, committing themselves to the change of system that generates it and the defense and promotion of their environmental rights " Vice-Minister Castillo Golding highlighted that the Third United Nations Environment Assembly was addressing among its topics the impact of the Terrorist and Armed Conflicts operations on the Pollution of the Affected Areas, so it was propitious the occasion to manifest the rejection of Venezuela to Terrorism in all its forms "including the Terrorism that some States try to impose on other people in order to appropriate their resources and natural riches". Our country is subject to permanent aggressions by Hegemonic Powers and denounces to the World the application of these unilateral economic coercive measures, and moreover we invoke the unanimous Declaration against this type of actions that the countries of Non-Aligned Movement also recently issued. More than 100 ministers from around the world are participating in the Third United Nations Environment Assembly that is taking place in Kenya. After the fourth session of the UNEA,it will now be held in every two years. Source: Venezuela Ministry of the People’s Power for Ecosocialism and Water,
Kenya praised for plastic ban at UNEA opening assembly
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday 5th Dec 2017 officially opened the 3rd United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi where Kenya was praised for banning the manufacture and use of plastic packaging both at industrial and domestic levels.
The President of Guyana, David Ganger, and the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Anthony Carmona, who spoke at the assembly praised Kenya for implementing the ban on plastic packaging.
President Kenyatta opened the third UNEA with a call for commitment from all countries in the world to copy Kenya’s example of banning the use of plastic bags. “My advice is that nations should not heed the skeptics, who say that all countries cannot protect our planet better by banning plastic carrier bags,” said the President.
President Carmona said through the plastic ban Kenya has become the hope for humanity. “Nothing stops Kenya from becoming known as the hope of humanity just as it is known as the cradle of humanity,” He said he learnt with admiration that the ban on plastic bags in Kenya has resulted in renewed growth in paper and jute industries in Kenya. He called on UN Environment Assembly to come up with implementable resolutions that can guide humanity towards intergenerational equity.
The President also urged the United Nations Environment Programme to strengthen its functions even as he announced that Kenya will increase its voluntary contributions to the world environmental body. He also announced that after the plastic ban milestone, Kenya has embarked on organising a major regional anti-pollution forum.
“We should not be indicted by our children and our children’s children for polluting planet earth,” said President Carmona.
The Government is organising to host the East African Framework Agreement on Air Pollution, building on the Nairobi Agreement of 2008. The Nairobi agreement brought together 11 countries to develop actionable targets to address air pollution. “In furthering the Agreement on Air Pollution, we hope to repeat the success we have achieved with the ban of plastic carrier bags, and we look forward to global support in this effort,” said the President.
President Granger said pollution knows no frontiers and the actions of people in one corner of the world will directly affect those in other regions. He said eradicating pollution requires information, education and communication strategies that informs all people about the fact that a clean environment is a right for all. “A clean environment is a right for all and not an entitlement for a select few,” said President Granger.
President Kenyatta also announced that Kenya has started bidding for the hosting of the second United Nations Oceans Conference in 2020. The first conference was held in New York in June this year. He added that Kenya plans to organise and host a global conference on blue economy within next year as a build up to the Oceans Conference.
UN undersecretary and Executive Director of UNEP, Erik Solheim, also praised the Government of Kenya for passing tough laws to control plastic use. Cabinet Secretaries Judy Wakhungu (Environment) and Amina Mohamed (Foreign Affairs) attended the opening session of the UNEA.
The President said Kenya remains wholly committed to strengthening and supporting the UNEP to achieve its noble goals. “That is why we will increase Kenya’s funding to the organization in order to support its programmes,” said the President. “I would also like to encourage other member states to consider raising their voluntary contributions to help United Nations Environment Programme discharge its mandate effectively.”
More than 4,000 delegates are attending conference which will run until Friday 8th Dec. www.kbc.co.ke www.capitalfm.co.ke
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