Vol. 4: Issue 2, 15th January, 2018
Bolivarian Government of Venezuela
Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs
Embassies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the World
Newsletter Weekly
What’s inside Venezuela rejects the statements of US Under secretary of State Pope Francis urges respect for refugees and immigrants Southern EU countries demand united EU policy on migration Caricom, African Union Slams Trump's 'Racist and Reprehensible' Anti-Immigrant Remarks Venezuelan government and the opposition believe in reaching stable agreements for peace Germany to US: Call out Iran but Keep Nuclear Deal Intercept's Greenwald bashes media's distortion of Trump: "Persona Non Grata" in the Caribbean
Inside Africa: Rwanda, Uganda disown refugee deal but Israel insists one exists
Venezuela rejects the statements of US Under Secretary of State On Friday 12th January 2018, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon Speaking from Madrid in Spain said that the United States is preparing new sanctions against the government of Nicolas Maduro to convince it to release Venezuela from its current state of crisis. The Minister of People's Power for Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza, rejected the statements of the US official, Thomas Shannon, in which he confirmed new sanctions against Venezuela. In this regard, the Foreign Minister said that Mr. Thomas Shannon wasted his time in torpedoing the dialogue proposed by President Nicolás Maduro, because the people of Venezuela defend the independence and peace that the Bolivarian Revolution has consolidated in the nation. “Mr Shannon is wasting his time. In response to more efforts made by the US government to torpedo the dialogue and generate conditions of violence, the Venezuelan people will defend their independence and peace that we have consolidated thanks to our constituent democracy." said the message of the Minister through his account in Twitter @jaarreaza. Minister Arreaza also referred to Shannon's statements in Madrid, which he described as revealing, because they clearly express how international governments are willing to give orders to the European Union in an interventionist manner and above all against Venezuela. "The statements of Thomas Shannon in Madrid are revealing: he travels to give direct orders to the European Union to continue attacking Venezuela. It would be sad if the EU continues to submit to Donald Trump's interfering, racist and warmongering opinions, " Minister Jeorge Arreaza said. www.mppre.gob.ve
THE WORLD Immigration Crisis
Pope Francis urges respect for refugees and immigrants
The Supreme Pontiff stressed that the duty of all is to respect cultures and welcome newcomers with hospitality. Pope Francis on Sunday 14th Jan called on all those nations that receive a large influx of immigrants and refugees to maintain a cordial and hospitable treatment for those who are arriving in their countries. During the fourth annual edition of the World Day of Migrants ceremony in the Vatican, the Supreme Pontiff stressed that local citizens should consider that those who emigrate, come to their nations with the premise of a better future and also with the fear of being rejected and of failure. "The sin is to let those fears determine our response, condition decisions, compromise respect and generosity, feed hatred and rejection," he said. On the other hand, he also stated that refugees should integrate themselves not only via citizenship but also with the laws, traditions and cultures that already exist in each country, as a form of respect. "It is not easy to enter into the culture of others, to put ourselves in the place of people so different from us, to understand their thoughts and experiences," said Francisco during the commemorative ceremony held by the Catholic Church since 1914. The annual celebration was attended by more than 200 Hindu immigrants, 800 Romanians, 450 Indians converted to the Catholic religion, 50 Lebanese Maronites, 2,000 Filipinos and hundreds of immigrants of different religious doctrines. www.telesurtv.net www.ncronline.org 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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Southern EU countries demand united EU policy on migration
1) The 'Southern Seven' in Rome, January 10th 2017. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP 2) Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) greets French President Emmanuel Macron before a southern European Union nations meeting in Rome, Italy Jan. 10, 2018. Leaders from seven southern European countries in Rome made a joint appeal on Wednesday for further economic and financial integration in the European Union (EU), and "for more solidarity" on migration policies. (Xinhua/Alberto Lingria)
The toll of dead or missing in the Mediterranean dropped from nearly 5,000 during crossings in 2016 to 3,116 in 2017, mostly off the coast of Libya. But the start of 2018 has seen some grim statistics. Between 90 and 100 migrants were missing after their makeshift boat sank off Libya, the country's navy said. Ten migrants also died and dozens more are missing after their boat sank.
The heads of seven southern European states pledged on Wednesday to up their efforts to tackle one of the most stubborn thorns in the EU's side: flows of migrants from war torn and impoverished countries.
Apart from rescues at sea, asylum applications – and the inevitable delays and lengthy appeals – have placed great strain on some countries. Greece is struggling to deal with over 50,000 migrants and refugees, 14,000 of whom are crammed into tents or centres on overcrowded Aegean islands.
The leaders of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, meeting in Rome for a working dinner, released a statement saying they were "firmly committed to a common European policy on migration". The "Southern Seven" also tackled issues such as the future of the eurozone and efforts to propel growth, but from crowded reception centres in Greece to boats heading for Spain, the top topic was migrants. Those on the frontline for arrivals despair of the reluctance of some European countries – such as Poland or the Czech Republic – to share the reception burden.
In Italy, the authorities have stopped providing details on the number of asylum seekers housed in its reception centres, with the last available figures showing there were almost 200,000 last spring. Despite a proliferation of small structures aimed at improving integration, tens of thousands of people are still forced to idle away their days in large centres as a climate of mistrust and racism grows ahead of the general election on March 4th.
"We must fight together to put in place a migration policy that shows solidarity with the countries that receive these significant flows," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the press.
Spain has faced a backlash over the state of the detention centres where migrants are held before being expelled. Anger was fueled in December after the apparent suicide of an Algerian who was locked up in a prison in Andalusia along with nearly 500 other migrants for lack of space elsewhere.
France's President Emmanuel Macron also slammed the "inconsistencies" in Europe's Dublin asylum rules which force those countries which serve as points of arrival in Europe to shoulder the crisis. The call for a "determined effort" to improve the system nonetheless steered clear of mentioning the EU bid to relocate migrants – a bid that has angered some countries or been flatly ignored.
The southern European countries have urged time and again for the migrant burden to be shared across the EU. Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti – the man behind the Brussels-backed deal with Libya to block migrants from setting out for Europe – has urged the EU to follow Rome's lead on humanitarian corridors. Three days before Christmas, Italy welcomed a group of 162 Ethiopian, Somali and Yemeni refugees who flew directly in from crisis-hit Libya.
For Italy, 2017 was a turning point: the country went from large-scale arrivals in the first six months to a sharp drop off, thanks to controversial agreements in Libya. In the end some 119,000 people landed here, down 35 percent on 2016. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni boasted of the "encouraging results in the control of [migrant] flows and the fight against human trafficking" and urged Europe to make sure the results would "now be consolidated".
Some 10,000 refugees are expected to follow in 2018, Minniti said – provided they are spread across the EU. With France also facing a record increase in asylum applications, the migration issue is expected to figure at a bilateral meeting between Macron and Gentiloni.
For its part, Spain saw a notable increase in Algerians and Moroccans sailing in, from 6,000 attempting the crossing in 2016 to nearly 23,000 picked up last year.
www.thelocal.it www.xinhuanet.com www.euronews.com The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
In Greece, an accord struck between the EU and Turkey limited the number of arrivals to 28,800 people – six times fewer than in 2016 – but it did not solve the problem of how to care for those who had already made the journey.
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Caricom, African Union Slams Trump's 'Racist and Reprehensible' Anti-Immigrant Remarks
"It should be recalled that Haiti is the second democracy in the Western hemisphere after the United States and that Haitians continue to contribute significantly in many spheres to the global community and particularly to the United States of America," added the bloc, which includes former British, Dutch and French colonies.
Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who was present at the White House meeting, told the AFP that Trump first raised the question, "Do we need more Haitians? The Caribbean Community, or Caricom, has slammed U.S. President Donald Trump for using "repulsive language" to describe Haiti and African countries.
The African group of ambassadors to the United Nations has demanded an apology from Donald Trump, after the US president reportedly aimed a racist remark at some Caribbean nations and Africa.
"Caricom condemns in the strongest terms the unenlightened views reportedly expressed," the 15-nation bloc's Guyana-based headquarters said in a statement. "(CARICOM) is deeply disturbed by reports about the use of derogatory and repulsive language by the President of the United States in respect of our member state, Haiti, and other developing countries."
Trump criticised immigration to his country from El Salvador, Haiti and the African continent, by calling the group "shithole countries" at a meeting with Congress members at the White House on Thursday, according to US media.
Trump reportedly referred to immigrants from countries like El Salvador and Haiti as people from "shithole countries" during a meeting with the lawmakers in White House on.
"The African Union mission to the UN is extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks attributed to the US president as widely reported by the media," Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Ghana's ambassador to the UN, said on Friday the 12th January.
Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who was present at the White House meeting, told the AFP that Trump first raised the question, "Do we need more Haitians?"
The group has demanded a retraction and apology from Trump.According to US media reports, citing people with knowledge of the conversation, Trump asked during a conversation about immigration: "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?"
"Shithole was the exact word used not once, not twice, but repeatedly," Durbin said, adding that the word was specifically used in the context of African countries, according to The Guardian. Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren said Trump's words had "struck at the dignity of Salvadorans." "El Salvador formally protests and energetically rejects this kind of comment," he wrote on Twitter.
Trump suggested the US should instead focus its immigrant entry policy on countries such as Norway. Following an emergency session of the African diplomats, Pobee added that the group "is concerned at the continuing and growing trend from the US administration towards Africa and people of African descent to denigrate the continent and people of colour".
The 55-nation African Union also condemned Trump's remarks, saying they were "clearly racist." "The African Union Mission wishes to express its infuriation, disappointment and outrage over the unfortunate comment made by Mr. Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, whose remarks dishonor the celebrated American creed and respect for diversity and human dignity," the African Union said in a statement.
The ambassadors' reaction comes after the 55-nation African Union said it was "frankly alarmed". "Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behaviour and practice," AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo said. www.telesurtv.net www.aljazeera.com The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
Caricom nations also comprise of descendants of African slaves, along with ancestors of many others who were indentured laborers from India. Caricom also expressed its full support for the Haitian government.
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Venezuelan government and the opposition believe in reaching stable agreements for peace After resuming the dialogue for peace in the Dominican Republic The US is preventing on Thursday 11th January 2018 and agreeing on the points that would be Venezuela from discussed, a new round of talks is underway between the National Government delegation and the Venezuelan opposition, in order to importing basic guarantee peace and overcome the economic situation that Venezuela is products facing. Talks about the Truth Commission, economic, political and electoral guarantees, recognition of the National Constituent Assembly, institutional balance, economic and social situation are planned to resume. This second round of talks this year is headed by Dominican President Danilo Medina, the Caribbean nation's Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Vargas and former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The talks also have the international accompaniment of the foreign ministers of Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Both parties met in private to consolidate proposals and thus reach a single agreement. The high level delegation of the Bolivarian Government is headed by the Minister of Communication and Information, Jorge Rodríguez, along with the president of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA), Delcy Rodríguez; the Minister of Education, Elías Jaua, and the former Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Roy Chaderton. While Julio Borges, Enrique Márquez, Manuel Rosales, among others, attend the opposition faction. This call for dialogue has been a constant on the part of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro in order to reach a stable solution and maintain the peace of the Venezuelan people.
Dialogue will continue on the 18th of January 2018
The Dominican President, Danilo Medina, informed that the Government and the Venezuelan opposition will hold a new round of negotiations this Thursday 18th of January 2018, in the capital of the Caribbean country.
The US has ordered the world financial system to block all accounts and financial movements of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a spokesman from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday 13th of January 2018. William Castillo, Vice Minister of Communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned that this blockade prevented the country from importing food and other basic products. William Castillo admitted that the country is going through a complex phase, because it’s not being allowed to charge or pay for its imports of food and medicine, because the United States prevents Venezuela from mobilizing its money. Caracas recently reported that the blockade prevents vessels from unloading products at Venezuelan ports.
President Medina confirmed "important advances" after the talks held during the week that has just ended, but there were pending issues. January 18th will be the fourth formal meeting.
www.chavezvive.info.ve
www.mppre.gob.ve www.chavezvive.info.ve
OPEC committee to meet this month in Oman Venezuela confirmed on Sunday 13th 2018, that the Monitoring Committee of the world oil market will meet this month in the Sultanate of Oman. The South American nation is part of the Committee that monitors the world energy market, along with Kuwait, Algeria, Oman, Russia and Saudi Arabia, a country that joined at the end of last year. The Monitoring Committee also watches over the fulfillment of the agreement signed by more than 20 producing countries, which extracted 1.8 million barrels per day from the global market. Venezuela also confirmed that it will this year assume the alternate Presidency of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), together with the United Arab Emirates. www.chavezvive.info.ve
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Germany to US: Call out Iran but Keep Nuclear Deal
French Foreign Minister Le Drian (L) and EU's foreign policy chief Mogherini (R) at meeting with foreign ministers in Brussels. | Photo: Reuters
In a statement released before the start of the meeting in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, called the nuclear deal “a crucial agreement that makes the world safer.”
Trump’s October decision not to certify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal has put Washington at odds with all other signatories of the accord. At a meeting with his counterparts from Iran, Britain, France and the European Union, Germany’s foreign minister said the United States was right to address concerns about Iran.
Trump’s October decision not to certify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal has put Washington at odds with all other signatories of the accord Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the EU.
“We want to speak with Iran about its role in the region, which is more than problematic,” he said, but “we want to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran.”
Trump must decide by mid-January whether to continue waiving U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil exports under the terms of the pact. The decision comes as Iran’s government deals with protests over economic hardships and corruption that have been encouraged by Trump.
On the eve of a deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump to decide whether to reimpose oil sanctions lifted under the deal, the EU’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini convened the meeting to show support for the nuclear deal.
www.telesurtv.net www.reuters.com
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Intercept's Greenwald bashes media's distortion of facts in Assange's case
Assange who has been in asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in the United Kingdom for over five years was denied diplomatic status by the U.K. recently.
time to resolve his situation - but since WikiLeaks & Assange are hated, nobody cares, no journalism standards apply. Just make it up," Greenwald wrote on Twitter.
The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald along with Wikileaks took to Twitter over the last 24 hours to debunk some of the misinformation surrounding Julian Assange's status percolating in mainstream media channels.
Julian Assange is registered with the Civil Registry of Ecuador as "Julian Paul Assange" with the identification number 1729926483, which only includes Ecuadorean citizens, according to Reuters. However, the Ecuadorean foreign ministry has neither declined nor confirmed Wikileaks Founder's citizenship status, saying, it wouldn't confirm any "distorted or out-of-context information."
Greenwald, Wikileaks and others made the comments after the sensational headlines and reporting in media publications such as the NY Post, the Telegraph and others, which stated that Assange was being "kicked out", "removed" or expelled from Ecuador's embassy.
The U.K. denied Assange who has been in asylum in the U.K.'s Ecuadorean embassy a diplomatic status, Reuters has reported.
While Ecuador stated: "We will continue to protect Julian Assange", the NY Post reported, "Julian Assange might be getting kicked out of Ecuador's embassy," with the Telegraph positing "Ecuador could remove Julian Assange from London embassy as situation 'not sustainable" and the Australian saying: "It seems Julian Assange may have finally overstayed his welcome at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London."
“The government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr. Assange here in the U.K.,” the spokesman said. “The U.K. did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter.” “Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice,” the spokesman added.
Zeit online, went one step further, stating, "His stay here has become intolerable." "Journalistic falsehoods and abject recklessness don't become noble or even tolerable just because it's used to malign someone you hate," Greenwald tweeted, referring to a tweet posted by Wikileaks, which said, "A look at the propaganda press. Ecuador states "We will continue to protect @JulianAssange" that it is an "untenable situation" to have him detained in the U.K. for 5.5 years and wants a third state to mediate."
Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, "Julian Assange got international protection from the Ecuadorean government in August 2012." "The national government has complied with the Constitution, international conventions and the law, acting with the prudence and caution that warrants the protection of human rights and the defense of the right of asylum."
"All of these headlines from major papers are literally the exact opposite of what Ecuador said - which is that it's past
www.telesurtv.net world.breaking.profitf.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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Trump: "Persona Non Grata" in the Caribbean
The statement, which will be formally announced at a press conference on Monday, is part of a chorus of condemnation emanating worldwide in protest at statements allegedly made by Donald Trump in regards to Haiti and El Salvador.
fundamental human rights of all Black or African people, and that we are guided by an over-arching and non-negotiable principle of zero tolerance of any manifestation of anti-Black or anti-African racism or discrimination.
"We, the under-signed representatives of the sovereign people of the Caribbean, hereby declare that President Donald Trump of the United States of America is "Persona Non Grata" in our Caribbean region!
It is against this background that we, the sovereign people of the Caribbean, have determined that by describing the nations of Africa, the Republic of Haiti and the Central American nation of El Salvador as "shithole" countries, U S President Donald Trump has committed a despicable and unpardonable act of anti-Black, anti-African, anti-Brown racism that has served to further energize and fortify the vile White supremacy system that the said President Trump has self-consciously sought to champion and lead.
We further declare that as a "Persona Non Grata" President Donald Trump is NOT welcome in any territory of the Caribbean, and we hereby confirm that we - the Caribbean people - will petition our Governments, vehemently protest against any Trump visit, and engage in popular demonstrations designed to prevent President Donald Trump's entry into any portion of the sovereign territory of our Caribbean region.
We -- the sovereign people of the Caribbean-- hereby declare to the entire world that we vehemently and unreservedly denounce President Donald Trump and the evil and inhuman White supremacy value system that he represents"
As sons and daughters of the Caribbean, we hereby affirm that the continent of Africa is the revered Motherland of a sizable majority of our people and that the Republic of Haiti -the seminal architect of the destruction of the system of chattel slavery that held our ancestors in bondage -- is the foundational cornerstone of our Caribbean Civilization, and we, therefore, consider that any insult or attack that is directed at the African continent or at the Republic of Haiti is intrinsically an insult and attack that is directed at us as well.
www.telesurtv.net
We further affirm that we Caribbean people -- in light of our history of experiencing, resisting, and surviving the most horrendous forms of enslavement and colonialism -- consciously regard ourselves as champions and defenders of the dignity and
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INSIDE AFRICA:
Rwanda, Uganda disown refugee deal but Israel insists one exists
“Feeling they had no other choice, they travelled many hundreds of kilometres through conflict zones in South Sudan, Sudan and Libya after being relocated by Israel,” the spokesperson of the UNHCR, William Spindler, told reporters in Geneva last week.
The United Nations is urging Israel to not force out African refugees on its soil after it emerged that Rwanda and Uganda had opted out of the controversial deal to have the refugees relocated. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says the lives of the African refugees will be endangered if they are forcibly repatriated to their countries of origin — mainly Eritrea and Sudan — or third countries.
Forced relocations Mr Spindler said that along the way, “they suffered abuse, torture and extortion before risking their lives once again by crossing the Mediterranean to Italy.”
Earlier reports indicated that Rwanda and Uganda had offered to take the 40,000-or so African refugees in Israel, but as the deal attracted controversy, with rights groups criticising it, the two countries denied being part of it.
UNHCR staff interviewed the refugees in Rome between November 2015 and December last year at reception centres and informal settlements. All were adult males, some with family members still in Israel.
Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of East African Community affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe told The EastAfrican that there was no such a deal, despite President Paul Kagame in 2015 and 2016 affirming ongoing discussions with Tel Aviv regard this.
“In every case, they reported torture, mistreatment and extortion before reaching Europe,” said Spindler, adding that some said that others travelling with them had died en route to Libya.
“There were negotiations sometime back (3-4 years ago) but there was no deal. The President never said there was one. This story of a deal between Israel and Rwanda is fake news. Nothing more,” Mr Nduhungirehe said.
The majority maintained that they had been transferred from Israel to “a country in Africa” and provided with $3,500, the UN said, avoiding mentioning Rwanda and Uganda. However, the UNHCR office in Rwanda confirmed that it had been in contact with refugees repatriated to Rwanda since 2014.
His Ugandan counterpart Henry Okello Oryem similarly denied the existence of such a deal. However information obtained from the UN refugee agency indicates that some refugees had already been repatriated to the two countries, and that some have tried to find their way into Europe.
“UNHCR is in contact with a handful of refugees who arrived in Rwanda from Israel between 2014 and 2015. But we do not have specific information on how many individuals have arrived over the past few years and if they are still here and settled in Rwanda,” Erika Fitzpatrick, the UNHCR public information officer said.
Israel had committed itself to put a financial incentive for receiving countries. According to the UN, 80 of those repatriated by Israel have since attempted the dangerous journey to Europe.
www.theeastafrican.co.ke www.aljazeera.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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