We found out from news reports that St Vincent PM Ralph Gonsalves – after discussions with Barbados PM Mia Mottley – decided to fly to Venezuela, on Monday, March 17, to meet Venezuelan President Mad Maduro to discuss the Border Controversy. According to one news report “he met with President Maduro on (the same) Monday, and later with Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, in a bid to get the leaders to hold true to the Argyle Declaration, which they signed onto on December 14, 2023, with himself acting as an interlocutor.”
Now, a couple of things struck your Eyewitness. First of all: where, in the offices of an “interlocutor”, can the latter take it upon himself to initiate discussions – absent requests or at least consent from the parties to a negotiation?? We know Ralphie wouldn’t have just shown up at the door of Miraflores Palace to see Mad Maduro; he had to’ve called ahead to ensure the guards didn’t give him the bum’s rush!! Just looking at Raphie, they would be forgiven to assume he’s a bum looking for a handout!!
But what about the other party to the Argyle Agreement – namely Pres Ali?? Did Ralpie call ahead to ask him to discuss the most pressing threat his country’s facing – invasion from Mad Maduro’s hordes?? We didn’t hear anything from Office of the President, for sure!! In fact, from VP Jagdeo’s press conference on Thursday, March 13, we heard that Mad Maduro had suggested a meeting with Pres Ali, but Jagdeo announced, “At the time, no such plan has been finalised. That has to be assessed against what he wants to meet on, and also whether it’s good for our country and our national security interest. The President will make that assessment.”
The President immediately duly informed the press, on March 15, “I have spoken to the Chair of Caricom [Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley] and I have said very clearly – I have outlined our position…the fact that this controversy of Venezuela would be decided at the ICJ [International Court of Justice]. And as I said last night to the Chair of Caricom: that we are not going to go into any discussion with Venezuela when they are blatantly disregarding the Argyle Declaration.” In other words, the Pressie’s reply was, “No way, Jose!!” Mad Maduro had, of course, ordered one of his Navy’s vessels to invade our EEZ on March 1st!!
So, your Eyewitness is astounded at the audacity of Gonsalves and Mottley, especially when it was reported that he CALLED Pres Ali on March 19 – presumably after meeting Mad Maduro – urging “calm and restraint, and for both parties to return to diplomacy”!!
Did he censure Mad Maduro for the naval invasion?? Not likely!!
…big and bad
US Pres Trump has claimed that the payment and working conditions of the Cuban Medical Programme – wherein, over the past 60 years, they’ve deployed over 400,000 health workers across 164 countries – are so horrendous they constitute “human trafficking”. After he had announced he’d impose visa restrictions on officials of participating countries, Mia Mottley and Ralph Gonsalves announced ostentatiously they’d rather lose their visas than censure Cuba!!
Point of the matter is that all they had to do – like Guyana has done – is to point out and show that, as far as the Caribbean countries are concerned, those doctors and nurses are paid directly – on equal terms with local medical personnel!! But no!! They demanded to see Trump, to give him a piece of their minds. All your Eyewitness would say is “be careful what you ask for!”
Anyhow, we just learnt that Secty of State Rubio would visit the Caribbean next week. Let’s see who’s gonna be big and bad!! A repeat of Zelenskyy??
