International
Venezuelan President: we had a great triumph of diplomacy for peace
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.
“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.
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
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
A truck loaded with explosives exploded on Saturday near a police station in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, close to the Venezuelan border, leaving 14 people injured in an attack that occurred six days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration.
The blast took place in the early hours of the morning and was allegedly carried out by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who detonated a vehicle packed with explosives. According to the latest report from the Colombian Army, the attack injured 11 police officers and three civilians.
The explosion involved around 15 explosive devices, and two of the wounded officers are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, the region where the attack occurred.
The incident comes amid Colombia’s worst wave of violence in the past decade, with armed groups expanding their presence in several areas of the country.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack carried out in Cúcuta against our National Police. Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break the determination of Colombians to live in peace and security,” De la Espriella said in a post on X.
The conservative lawyer, who has been described as a far-right figure, will take office on August 7, replacing Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president. The inauguration ceremony will be held in Cali, the country’s third-largest city and a frequent target of attacks by armed groups.
The United Nations condemned what it described as an “indiscriminate attack” that caused not only injuries but also “fear and distress among the population.”
De la Espriella has repeatedly warned about an alleged plot against his life. Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro, who is currently visiting Cuba, has not commented on the attack. During his visit, Petro met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss what Havana describes as the United States’ “policy of suffocation” toward the island.
International
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
The arrival of around 60,000 migrants from Morocco to Spain’s Ceuta enclave triggered a major European Union crisis on Friday, after Madrid described the situation as an “attack” on its territorial integrity.
At least 34 people died while attempting to reach the Spanish territory, according to local authorities.
Hundreds of migrants had begun arriving in Ceuta earlier in the week, either by swimming across the border or climbing security fences. Most of those who entered were young men and teenagers.
However, the situation escalated dramatically early Thursday morning, when the number of arrivals surged within a few hours, reaching nearly 60,000 people. According to the Spanish government, the vast majority of them — around 48,000 migrants — had returned to Morocco by Friday evening.
The episode represents one of the most serious migration crises faced by the autonomous city of Ceuta, which has a population of around 84,000 residents, in recent years.
Several European countries responded strongly to the crisis, with Italy announcing the temporary suspension of the Schengen free movement agreement with Spain, a measure supported by Finland and Denmark.
“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe’s borders,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X.
Italy’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the country had tightened controls on maritime and air entry points from Spain, but clarified that the measure would not affect Spanish or European citizens traveling to Italy.
The additional checks will specifically target non-European citizens arriving from Spain, according to the ministry.
The measure will remain in effect for one month starting Saturday, authorities said.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares responded to the Italian announcement through a statement on X, as European governments continued discussions over the consequences of the migration crisis.
International
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday announced legislation to establish a federal anti-corruption office aimed at strengthening oversight of the executive branch and preventing future presidents from using the White House for personal financial gain.
Schumer said the proposal was prompted by what he described as President Donald Trump’s misuse of the presidencyto benefit his family’s business interests.
“In just 18 months, the Trump family has made more than $4 billion by exploiting the influence of the presidency,” Schumer alleged.
The New York senator also argued that the alleged corruption has had direct economic consequences for American households.
“The same corrupt practices Trump is using to pocket billions of dollars are also forcing Americans to pay, on average, $3,100 more each year because of the rising cost of living,” he said.
The legislation was introduced alongside Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, Jeff Merkley, and Andy Kim.
According to Schumer, the bill has two primary objectives: “First, to return money to the American people. Second, to ensure that no one can ever steal from them again.”
He added that the proposal would create legal mechanisms allowing citizens to seek the recovery of funds allegedly obtained through government corruption.
“The fact that Trump stole money from the American people does not make it his. Americans deserve to get that money back,” Schumer said.
Under the proposed legislation, any U.S. citizen—as well as state attorneys general acting on behalf of their residents—would be authorized to file civil lawsuits to recover funds allegedly acquired through corrupt practices by public officials.
“Our bill would empower any individual, including a state attorney general acting on behalf of the people of that state, to bring legal action to recover money stolen from the public through government corruption,” Schumer said.
The measure is expected to face debate in Congress, where Republicans and Democrats remain deeply divided over executive accountability and the scope of presidential powers.
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