Sobers in dark

DAREECE POLO

Senior Reporter

[email protected]

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers has voiced concern over fresh allegations by Venezuela’s Justice Minister, Diosdado Cabello, about attempts to destabilise his government and implicating Trinidad and Tobago, while taking aim at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Cabello, speaking at a media conference on Thursday, said Venezuelan authorities had dismantled a right-wing terrorist plot in Plaza Venezuela, Caracas, involving plans to detonate an explosive device. He claimed two alleged terrorists were involved — one intending to escape into Colombia and the other into Trinidad and Tobago. He also said T&T’s Prime Minister will say it’s a lie “but it is her problem.”

In response yesterday, Sobers told Guardian Media that Government first learned of the allegations via media reports and not official diplomatic channels via the Venezuelan government or its embassy here in Port-of-Spain. However, he said they are taking Cabello’s comments seriously.

“The first thing we did last night (Thursday) would have been to instruct the head of Chancery in Caracas to send a note to Caracas itself, enquiring about the situation. Especially if it is, in fact, a national security issue, so that we can forward whatever information they provide us to the Minister of Homeland Security and the Minister of Defence,” Sobers said.

Asked whether Venezuelan authorities should address such matters directly with the T&T Government rather than making them public first, Sobers said that decision lies entirely with Caracas.

“It’s very important that all participants within this particular situation should exercise some degree of care in terms of what is said, and what is not said, and what is done, and what steps are adopted thereafter. But I would not want to comment on how Venezuela chooses to — and I dare not do that. I mean, they’re a sovereign state — how they choose to release information is solely up to them and within their own discretion.”

Regarding a previous Venezuelan claim that it had detained a T&T national linked to the destabilisation plot, Sobers confirmed a name was provided by Caracas and vetted by local authorities but said details remained sensitive.

On June 4, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro alleged that an armed group of men attempted to enter Venezuela from T&T. The next day, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar told the nation there was “categorically” no evidence to support the claim, and warned Maduro that any unidentified vessel in T&T’s waters would face “deadly force.” Cabello later dismissed her remarks as “crazy.”

When asked for an update on that matter, Sobers would only say, “So, what we received was some correspondence back from Caracas with respect to a particular name of an individual. We would have run some checks on the name… because it’s still at a very sensitive point, I won’t be able to divulge certain information related to that position at this juncture. But the relevant diplomatic and protocol channels have been engaged as it pertains to the information we received.”

Efforts to contact Venezuela’s ambassador Alvaro Sanchez Cordero were unsuccessful.

He also addressed concerns about the absence of a T&T ambassador in Caracas, saying appointments are being handled with caution.

“It’s definitely not a snub to Venezuela. We’re just exercising due diligence. And we have over, what, 19 missions in total. So, we are taking our time at it, but we are conducting due diligence to make sure the most suitable, most qualified people are appointed in these positions.”

He noted that to date, Government had appointed only Ralph Maraj as Ambassador to Caricom and Dr Neil Parsan to New York.