Beckles: Foreign Ministry facilitated Venezuelan envoy meeting

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles, centre, flanked by Senator Dr Amery Browne, left, and Arouca/Lopinot MP Marvin Gonzales, at a briefing at Beckles' office, Port of Spain, on November 4. - Photo by Sean Douglas

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles said her courtesy call with Venezuela ambassador Alvaro Sanchez Cordero to TT came via a letter to her from the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, as she denied any notion that her meeting had been unpatriotic. She said she was seeking to clear the air, as she held a briefing at her Port of Spain office on November 4.

Beckles referred to a letter from the ministry dated October 28 which preceded her courtesy call with Cordero on October 30.

The letter said the Venezuelan embassy had requested the ministry's assistance to meet her, as she said she has had similar ministry letters requesting her to have courtesy calls with envoys from Ireland, India, Palestine, Cuba and most recently, Japan.

"I hope that clears up the misconception, the feeling that you are 'going against the government' and you are not being patriotic and so many other comments you are hearing."

Saying ministry letters say what an envoy is coming to talk about, she read the October 28 letter: "To express appreciation for her party's stance in support of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, as declared by CELAC in Havana in 2014 and to offer His Excellency's readiness in his capacity as dean of the diplomatic corps to liaise with embassies and heads of missions," noting that all engagements will be co-ordinated through the ministry. The courtesy call would also let Cordero congratulate her on becoming PNM leader, she said.

Beckles referenced a news report citing Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar criticising her meeting with Alvaro as being a "huge mistake in taking the side of a narco government."

The opposition leader reiterated that the meeting had been a courtesy call with pre-stated objectives, and had lasted just 15 minutes.

"It is absolutely ridiculous for the PM, following a letter coming from her minister to me, that the honourable PM would then put this in the public domain, to make that kind of what I call 'reckless statement' and a statement that is calculated to cause mischief by virtue of an ambassador paying a courtesy call."

Relating that on October 30, Venezuela's National Assembly deemed Persad-Bissessar persona non grata, Beckles said, "That had nothing to do with me. My request was made before that.

"Therefore it is quite unfortunate that the PM would want to...For you to see this headline, 'Penny backing narco government.'"

Beckles said the PNM has maintained its stance of the region being a zone of peace. She related that Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers had no objection to her meeting Cordero, and more so had said the government will appoint an envoy to Venezuela. She said the government often says it has a very good relationship with the people of Venezuela, yet then alleged she was backing a narco government and slammed Caricom's stance on Venezuela.

"All of it is calculated to create mischief, to cause a distraction, especially as all those discussions were taking place around the budget, a budget that is fake and fraudulent."

Beckles said by viewing MPs in the Standing Finance Committee, the public had become aware of new taxes introduced in the budget, in contrast to many initial views that this was a good budget.

"When the finance committee takes place and you see there are no allocations for so many different things, the people of TT are very much awake."

She said if Persad-Bissessar has evidence the PNM was linked to drug trafficking, she should take it to the police.

"This use of inflammatory language consistently when you are under pressure – you are clueless about governance (and) you want to put the blame on the PNM – and that needs to stop."

Beckles said Persad-Bissessar's statement that drug traffickers should be "killed violently" was "most undiplomatic language" on a very sensitive situation regarding Venezuela.

She then warned that the impending presence of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford in this region would deter foreign investors from TT.

Questioning the rifts between TT and Caricom countries recently arising under the new TT government, Beckles said one must not underestimate the value of trade between TT and its regional neighbours.

Beckles cited a letter from Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Gaston Brown warning against the budget's recent hikes of excise duties of alcohol and tobacco products, which the government has doubled in the Caricom region.

She urged the PM to heed Browne's call to strengthen regional integration, not fracture it.

"It is very easy for our honourable prime minister to say that you are going to look for markets elsewhere, but when we think about the vessel, USS Ford, coming into the region and so many people have this feeling that something is likely to take place in our region, do you really think that people are going to come and invest here at this time?"