If the United States were to invade Venezuela to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office and some CARICOM governments join in, which side would St. Vincent and the Grenadines be on?
That’s one of the questions that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves was asked on Tuesday on Boom FM on the on-going impasse in Venezuela.
“Well, St. Vincent and the Grenadines would be entirely opposed to an invasion for the simple reason Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter of the United Nations, makes it plain that you can’t threaten or use force against another country,” the prime minister said.
“There are only two cases, two exceptions in the Charter of the United Nations: one, you’re doing so for self-defence, and clearly, there is no issue of aggression of Venezuela against the United States or, secondly, if it is a situation adjudged by the Security Council to be so serious that it requires a response through the Security Council for an intervention.”
He said that it is for this reason the United States president Donald Trump is not lobbying the Security Council in his efforts to secure regime change in Venezuela.
“… they have tried it before, that it doesn’t measure up to a global security threat and they wouldn’t get the support of the security council.”
Regarding the reports that Russia is sending troops to help Maduro, Gonsalves said:
“I hear all kinds of things but I hear a lot of fake news. There is no evidence that that has happened.”
He said that international law should be observed.
“In the same way that what saves us, you and me and others in this community, is not to have a strong and powerful man, more powerful than you and I come and bully us and beat up on us and we have no recourse to law.
“We have the law here; we have the courts to defend us. There’s a thing called international law. And this is the problem, there are some states, because of some fear – people can’t live by fear. You have to be practical, you have to be pragmatic, but you assert your principles. How could it, in heaven’s name, be in the interest of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to have a military invasion in Venezuela?”
He said that Canada and Europe oppose a military intervention in Venezuela.
Asked about the difference between a proposed US invasion of Grenada and Washington’s invasion of the St. George’s in the 1980s, Gonsalves said that in Grenada, “… the Americans used a fig leaf, that is to say, that the countries in the OECS, Eugenia Charles [then prime minister of Dominica] was then chairman, invite them in and that the governor general, which was the authority in Grenada did that. So they were in there by invitation.”
Gonsalves said he was against that military invention, as was Margaret Thatcher, then prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who was a good friend of then US president, Ronald Reagan.
Asked if he thinks that the Vincentian people support Maduro, Gonsalves said that if
Maduro is recalled and another person is elected president, Kingstown will have good relations with that person.
“I’m dealing with principle you know,” Gonsalves said.
He said everybody knows that his party has links with the St. Lucia Labour Party and he would have preferred to see Kenny Anthony rather than Allen Chastanet as prime minister of St. Lucia.
“Allen knows that himself but Allen and I work very well together as prime ministers representing St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia respectively. I don’t know how these things are so difficult to be understood. They are crystal clear to me,” Gonsalves said.
It is reported that much of Venezuela was without electricity recently as a new power outage spread across the country in what many fear will be a repeat of the chaos that had occurred a little more than two weeks ago during the nation’s largest-ever blackout. This latest outage began around midday on Monday the 25th and appeared to have affected the majority of Venezuela’s 23 states.
Our Prime Minister so often can be presumed to be so economical with truth here when dealing with matter of Russian troop deployment. Indeed in Moscow’s it is being reported of that first comment on the reports of the Russian troop deployment in Venezuela as its no secret.
The foreign ministry in Russia whose spokeswoman Maria Zakharova now said in a statement late on Tuesday that Russia has indeed sent personnel there “in strict accordance” with the Venezuelan constitution and a bilateral agreement on military cooperation. So why is Ralph indicating that the troop deployment there may be just fake news.
However Maria Zakharova did not elaborate on how many troops Russia has sent to that country in support. Therefore why on earth is our Prime Minister indicating that the reports may be fake news?
Indeed Maria Zakharova of Russia’s Foreign Ministry says that Russian military personnel that arrived there in Venezuela over the weekend has every right to be there.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6855069/Russia-confirms-military-personnel-arrived-Venezuela.html
Others have reported that this Russian military contingent that arrived there in Venezuela over the weekend are believed to be “Special Forces” personnel, including “cybersecurity personnel,” as a U.S. official told Reuters News Agency on Tuesday.
Moreover it is reported that two Russian Air Force planes landed outside Caracas on Saturday carrying nearly 100 Russian troops, according to local media reports. American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was still assessing the Russian deployment, which Washington has called a “reckless escalation” of the situation there in Venezuela.
So should we expect a shooting match to begin there shorty as had occurred in Syria or would the Americans tolerate another Cuba in their back yard? Let’s watch and see!
James do you remember these by Peter Binose
http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/peter-binose-the-venezuelan-bus-driver-tours-the-caribbean/
http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/peter-binose-no-i-will-wait-for-the-next-bus-go-feed-the-babies/
“Asked if he thinks that the Vincentian people support Maduro, Gonsalves said that if
Maduro is recalled and another person is elected president, Kingstown will have good relations with that person.
“I’m dealing with principle you know,” Gonsalves said.”
Question not answered, but in answering it in the future, the PM needs to refrain from giving his position and not be fooled into thinking that his position is everyone else’s. I did not realize we gave him a mandate to think for us as well but I might be wrong because most ULP supporters behave that way.
This PM (and other leaders of the same left-wing and oil-dependency ilk) present Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter of the United Nations in isolation from other UN provisions, thereby obscuring the responsiblity of external actors to protect the people of Venezula from their own wicked government by introducing these two exceptions as the only exceptions, which they certainly are not.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) is a global political commitment which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit in order to address its four key concerns to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, three of which are now being perpretrated on the people of Venezula by their own leaders in their desperation to cling to power.
The principle of the Responsibility to Protect is based upon the underlying premise that sovereignty entails a responsibility to protect all populations from the mass atrocity crimes and human rights violations that are everyday occurrences in Venezual.
The PM knows this (though dummy Bing clearly does not) full well which makes his unwavering support for the Maduro regime all the more reprehensible.
The Invasion of Venezuela is necessary to alleviate the human suffering in that Country. We as a people should never support dictationships not in St. Vincent or elsewhere. History has thought us that military invasions are the most effective ways to topple dictators.
It is very sad that our Prime Minister sits quietly while the people in Venezuela suffers. It is time for the US to get this done and over with like they have done to Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega.
Fake news, Fake news eh! Well hear this, today Wednesday 27th March 2019 President Trump, the U.S President says that Russia needs to get out of Venezuela.
The U.S President Trump, tells the Russian President, President Putin that he needs to pull his “troops” out of this strife-torn country Venezuela, where the electricity is again out, as the no nonsense U.S President Trump holds surprise Oval Office meeting with Fabiana Rosales de Guaido the 26-year-old journalist wife of the U.S.-recognized president of Venezuela Juan Guiado.
It is now well known and accepted that the Russian troops, military planes and equipment had arrived in Venezuela over the last weekend to support Ralph’s friend and known grubby dictator Nicolas Maudro, so there’s no denying this fact anymore that they have arrived. The question is, how long will these Russian special troops stay in Venezuela, after the U.S President’s demand for them to get out!
It is well known that the U.S administration recognizes Juan Guiado, the elected head of the Venezuelan legislature, as the acting president of Venezuela in the absence of a “free and fair election” for the position. The US administration frequently refers to Juan Guiado as the interim president as well, so what now for our own Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who appears to be in profound and utter denial about these developing events?
Just how much more pressure will the U.S Administration employ to achieve their desired ends is yet to be seen, and where would the departure of Maduro leave our Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the extended Gonsalves ruling family here in SVG and his U.L.P followers that too is yet to be seen?
No Sir that is not what Vincentian’s believe, its what you Ralph Gonsalves believe not us the people.
Looks like WW3 will start from Venezuela!
Hold the Fort!
SO TAKE OUT THE SO CALLED ” REGIME ” AND REPLACE WITH.. ANOTHER REGIME OF THE USA , WHAT HYPOCRISY, BUNCH OF NINCOMPOOPS !!! …..IRAQ , LIBYA , EGYPT AND SYRIA ARE NO WHERE BETTER YEARS LATER THAN THEY WERE WITH THEIR PREVIOUS LEADERS.
TELL US WHAT ARE THE BENEFACTORS FOR SVG WHEN AND IF THE USA REGIME PUPPET GOV. IS PROGRAMMED INTO VENEZUELA.
THE WORLD NEEDS A BALANCE OF POWER , RATHER THAN ONE BIG BULLY GOING AROUND TELLING EVERYONE HOW TO THEY SHOULD LIVE AND WHAT TO DO .!!
GOOD FOR RUSSIA !!
Remember Venezuela has oil and America will like to get their handsam on it. Venezuela will be America’South Vietnam. Good place to kick start a guerrilla war.
Dear A hole, America does not want Venezuelas oil, it is nasty dirty sulpher rich heavy oil that costs double that of sweet or light to refine. In fact the refining process requires about a 50% mix of sweet or light to make it actually refine-able. The US already have an oversupply of dirty heavy oil which they currently get from shale.
Venezuela will never be like Vietnam, there is no comparison, unless of course you compare Maduro with Ho Chi Minge, then you may be right. Because like Ho Maduro was under influence of the Russians also.
Russia still pump crude from Vietnam because they own half their oil. Difference is today between Russia and China they currently own 75% of oil pumped in Venezuala, it is they that have raped the Venezuelan crude oil, with the help of Cuba.
So when you talk about the US wanting there oil, no they don’t, but the real bankrupters of Venezuela do and will fight tooth and nail to retain what the already have acquired.
Today favorable perceptions of Vietnam in Russia have increased dramatically, with 93% of Vietnamese people viewing Russia’s influence positively and only 8% of Vietnamese viewing Vladmir Putin’s influence negatively- making Vietnam one of the most liked countries by Russia.
Well “AL” if you so wish to comment on the American self-interest and their foreign policy stance please do go right ahead but what appears to have been brought into focus there, and which is the centre of interest for good reasons, is our Prime Minister’s integrity and/or his credibility.
The Prime Minister is seen to be completely in the know on all matters Venezuela, he being bestie’s with the tyrant and dictator Maduro, yet our Prime Minister’s replies to pertinent questions appears to be utterly spurious and downright bogus.
Our Prime Minister is there indicating to us Vincentians that he would indeed snub any invite from the American President while on the matter of Russian troops being deployed in Venezuela, our Prime Minister would have us believe that the same is just “fake news” on the part of the media.
Just how are we to take our Prime Minister seriously? The Office of Prime Minister most surely demands much, much more sincerity and indeed serious integrity from the man!
Looking fwd to the day that we black people could look up to our own and brag about our own like we do president Trump…he has a close resemblance to Jesus..same race come to think of it..way to go
We have never globally had such poor leadership than we do today. The USA has not had an acceptable president for a long time. Clinton and Reagan may be considered acceptable but that is also debatable. Trump is turning out to be terrible, right up there with Bush and Obama. If we all ignore all the fake news that is said about Putin, he is the only great leader on earth today. His only unpopular act was the recent Pension Reforms in Russia. All his great decision making has made Russia the fastest rising nation on earth, thus all the fake news about Putin and the Russians.
We are unfortunately stuck with Gonsalves, who may make some good foreign policy decisions but his economics guarantee long-term poverty for the vast majority of the country as he and his friends get wealthier. Maduro is the leader of a country that should be the wealthiest nation on earth but his system and philosophy must be even worse than Gonsalves.
Although he should be taken out of power IMMEDIATELY, it should not be up to the USA to decide who the leaders of all nations should be. I have no idea how Maduro should be removed. Maybe the people that actually did vote for him have to be educated properly. It is the same in SVG. We may be stuck with Gonsalves until he croaks or the overwhelming majority can be educated as to what he is doing to the country.
Vladimir Putin officially earned 38.5 million rubles (roughly $673,000) between 2011 and 2016, according to information publicly released by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on Tuesday, giving the Russian president an average yearly salary of about $112,000.
Yet today he is a multi billionaire, believed to be the richest person in the world. Politicians don’t gather that much wealth by being honest and decent. Most of them in the Americas and the Caribbean are at it as well.
How do you talk to a man whose Trumpian response is “fake news”?
If The USA were to invade Venezuela that would be their Vietnam. All socialist would immitate what ISIS did to stream into the country to take up positions.
AK 47 you are shooting in the dark. Most of the Caribbean socialists are cowards so don’t hold our breath in any accompanying you on such a quest.
If a consortium which will include the US invade Venezuela, it will be over in three days. But the good thing is Venezuela will be back on its feet within three years.