Browne: Government has three different positions on Venezuela

Dr Amery Browne -

FORMER foreign affairs minister Dr Amery Browne chided the government for allegedly having put up three different positions towards the impending presence of a US fleet off the coast of Venezuela. The opposition senator and former MP gave his views when approached by Newsday after the Feast of Santa Rosa de Lima at the Santa Rosa RC Church in Arima on August 24.

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles was also present and said the opposition would fully address what she termed a "complex issue" at a briefing on August 25.

US President Donald Trump vowed to deploy the US military (included 4,500 marines and sailors) against narco-traffickers in the Southern Caribbean and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro heads a trafficking organisation named the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns).

Three destroyers armed with guided-missiles – USS Graveley, USS Sampson and USS Jason Dunham – were deployed to the Caribbean and are said to be heading from Florida to international waters off Venezuela. The Iwo Jima amphibious fleet had also set out for the Caribbean but had to turn back to its base in Norfolk, Virginia, due to the threat of Hurricane Erin.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has vowed to deploy 4.5 million militiamen across Venezuela, a rallying cry picked up by Delcy Rodriguez urging Venezuelans to sign up.

Maduro's vow to deploy militiamen across Venezuela has raised the question in some minds whether this also includes the Essequibo, an oil-rich region that makes up two-thirds of Guyana's territory but which Venezuela is arguing against any mineral extraction until the dispute is decided by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands.

On August 23, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued a two-page statement in support of the US action against narco-traffickers, blaming these groups for high crime levels in Caribbean countries and saying the law-abiding individuals have nothing to fear from the US action. She also said if Venezuela attacked Guyana, TT would let its territory be used as a base by the US.

On August 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers had told a reporter the situation gave no cause for fear and that TT had bilateral relations with both the US and Venezuela.

On April 23, TT ambassador to Caricom Ralph Maraj was reported as saying freedom and democracy must be returned to Venezuela.

Browne, speaking to Newsday at the Arima celebration, was very unimpressed with the government.

He said, "We are in unprecedented circumstances. A prime minister of the Republic of TT, a minister of foreign and Caricom affairs of the Republic of TT, and the ambassador of the Republic of TT to Caricom are all on three, separate tracks and disagreeing with each other publicly with respect to the foreign policy of this country.

"This has never happened before and we are in a serious crisis."

Newsday asked him to say what the three separate tracks were.

Browne replied, "The minister of foreign and Caricom affairs has 'Hands Off! TT is not involved in any way in these matters with respect to the US and Venezuela.

"The prime minister has contradicted him directly and has given full support to the US and their mobilisation.

"And the ambassador of TT to Caricom, former PNM minister Ralph Maraj, is talking regime change in Caracas.

"They need to get on the same page."