International

Venezuelan President: we had a great triumph of diplomacy for peace

Photo: Prensa Presidencial

December 19 |

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, highlighted on Monday that “we had a great triumph of diplomacy for peace” on the direct dialogue held with Guyana on the territorial dispute over the Guayana Esequiba.

During his program Con Maduro +, the head of state thanked the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), as well as the other authorities that made possible “that historic meeting, face to face, where we brought the documented truth of Venezuela”.

“There was no truth from Venezuela about our historical rights that we did not bring to the table there, and I think we had a great triumph of diplomacy for peace, of diplomacy to advance in the rescue of our historical rights,” the president stressed.

In addition, he spoke of the declaration presented after the high-level dialogue held, last December 14, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines between the delegations of Venezuela and Guyana, indicating that it should be known by all.

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“If we achieved something with the campaign and the debate for the referendum, it was that millions of Venezuelan men and women became aware of the issue of the historical claim over our Essequibo; 150 years of struggle and today we have put the issue of the Essequibo in the first place of priority so that, once and for all, Venezuela recovers its historical rights”, he emphasized.

Likewise, he recalled that in the last consultative referendum the people spoke and “we have to respect the mandate of December 3, and move forward through diplomacy, move forward through the legal struggle, the political struggle, move forward with great strength so that, sooner rather than later, Venezuela may have the historic achievement of fully recovering its rights over the Essequiba Guiana. Essequiba Guyana belongs to Venezuela”.

President Maduro thanked again those who made possible the direct dialogue with Guyana and, particularly, he spoke of the role played by his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for “understanding, for peace, and so that US imperialism does not wage a war as they want with the Southern Command here in the Caribbean, here in South America. I think it has been a step forward and it is the first impact” of the December 3 referendum.

Rejection to the interference in the controversy over the Essequibo
For his part, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil previously rejected, through his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter), the interference of the United Kingdom in the territorial controversy with Guyana over the Essequibo.

“The ex-empire, invader and slaver, which illegally occupied the territory of the Essequiba Guiana and acted in an artful and crawling manner against the interests of Venezuela, insists on intervening in a territorial controversy that they themselves generated”, declared the Foreign Minister, in reference to the visit to Guyana of the United Kingdom Undersecretary of State for the Americas and the Caribbean, David Rutley.

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Foreign Minister Gil asserted that the only valid action of the United Kingdom will be the recognition “of its responsibility before international law and the obligations derived from the Geneva Agreement of 1966”.

Then, following a message issued by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Rutley’s visit, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister urged him to “instead of sending ridiculous messages of intrigue, take charge, with true honor, of the commitments assumed in 1966”.

“In that task we have committed ourselves to Guyana and Venezuela, in order to reverse one of the effects of colonialism and imperial arrogance in our region”, he stressed.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”