US detains Venezuela minister

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US detains Venezuela minister

Postby Rigorous Intuition » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:41 pm

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>US detains Venezuela minister</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>From correspondents in Caracas<br>September 24, 2006<br><br><br>VENEZUELA said overnight its foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, was detained at a New York airport and stripped of his travel documents and airplane ticket.<br><br>Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Maduro was detained for allegedly taking part in a failed coup attempt in Venezuela on February 4, 1992, that Mr Chavez had led against then-president Carlos Andres Perez.<br><br>But Mr Chavez said Mr Maduro was not involved in the coup.<br><br>"Apparently he is on a list for February 4," Mr Chavez said on Venezuelan television. "But he was not in the rebellion."<br><br>Mr Maduro, who attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, said in a telephone interview with Venezuelan television that "the situation got worse" when he identified himself as Venezuela's chief diplomat.<br><br>"I told the on-duty officials that I was the foreign minister, and the situation got worse because they started insulting, yelling and brought a police officer ... and they started threatening us," Mr Maduro said.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"Now I have no documents and cannot travel," he said.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel linked the detention with Mr Chavez's controversial speech at the General Assembly Wednesday in which he called US President George W. Bush the "devil."<br><br>"It is an attack against the foreign minister, unheard of, unspeakable in terms of the treatment that people with positions like Minister Maduro deserve," Mr Rangel said. <br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20467771-1702,00.html">www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20467771-1702,00.html</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: US detains Venezuela minister

Postby greencrow0 » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:50 pm

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5374954.stm">news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middl...374954.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Here's the link <p></p><i></i>
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'Almost a Terrorist'

Postby greencrow0 » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:06 pm

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fapnews.myway.com%2Farticle%2F20060923%2FD8KASF2O0.html">www.rawstory.com/showarti...SF2O0.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Chavez: U.S. Detained Foreign Minister</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br> Email this Story<br><br>Sep 23, 7:47 PM (ET)<br>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said his foreign minister was detained by U.S. authorities at a New York airport Saturday for more than hour as he tried to return to the South American country. <br><br>Chavez told Venezuela's state TV broadcaster that U.S. officials alleged that Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro had links to a failed coup that Chavez led in Venezuela in 1992. <br>"They have held him accusing him of participating in terrorist acts here," Chavez said in Venezuela. "He didn't even participate in that patriotic rebellion." <br><br>Both Venezuelan politicians were in New York this week attending the yearly U.N. General Assembly, where Chavez attracted attention with a speech calling President Bush "the devil." He later criticized the U.S. leader during a stop in Harlem before returning home. <br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials and it wasn't known if Maduro has since left for Venezuela.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br><br>Maduro told CNN Espanol shortly after being released that he was confined to a small room and told to remove his clothes. <br>Maduro said that when he explained that he was the Venezuelan foreign minister and showed his diplomatic passport, he said he was threatened, pushed and yelled at by immigration and police officials. <br><br>"<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>They were violating diplomatic conventions," he said. <br>Maduro told Venezuela private TV station Globovision separately that U.S. authorities said a code on his airplane ticket identified him as "almost a terrorist."</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br><br>"This is an outrageous incident, repudiable from all points of view and unacceptable," Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said, adding Venezuela would protest to the U.S. government. <br>In 1992, Chavez, then a lieutenant colonel in the army, led a failed uprising aimed at ousting then-President Carlos Andres Perez.<br><br>===================<br><br>I don't know about this allegation that Chavez led a coup attempt in 1992. This is a very recent and suspicious allegation. The United States would have brought this up earlier in their ongoing fracas with President Chavez if there was any meat to the story.<br><br>As a Canadian...I don't take it lightly when I hear about the US holding people illegally at airports. <br><br>gc<br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Expected....

Postby stoneonstone » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:07 pm

The cloven hoof pops out.<br><br>On the plus side, the Nazis did have REALLY neat uniforms. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: US detains Venezuela minister

Postby yesferatu » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:13 pm

And here is the paragraph that has the big lie within the story.<br><br><<It appears that security staff were not even aware of Mr Maduro's government position when they decided to detain him after he refused to retake the test, the BBC's Greg Morsbach says. >><br><br>Why can't Morsbach just cite the name and title of the eff'n government worm that supplied him this b.s. line? Why is it so hard for them to print the names and titles of the the shit shovelers, thus linking a fact to the report...y'know...facts??<br>Just WHO gave Morsbach the impression (if not the line to write itself) that "it appears that security staff were not even aware"? How about some goddamned names!!! For once! Christ!!! <br>Are they all turning into Winston Smiths at the BBC as well??? <br>"It appears"???? Is this a new twist to the Fox-ian "some say"?<br>It's all so apparent. <br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: 'Almost a Terrorist'

Postby Rigorous Intuition » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:45 pm

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"I don't know about this allegation that Chavez led a coup attempt in 1992."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>It's true. I highly recommend <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3117181384995669233&q=Venezuela+Bolivariana">this video</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Venezuela Bolivariana</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. It's a good Venezuelan history lesson and sets Chavez in context. It contains footage of the '92 coup attempt, explains the reasons for it and how it was received by the people. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: 'Almost a Terrorist'

Postby greencrow0 » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:39 am

Thanks Jeff I watched the whole video. Very illuminating.<br><br>I can see why the Bushlings never brought up the 1992 Chavez led coup attempt...they don't want to advertise the conditions Chavez was fighting against and the success he had [for fear others might be inspired]. Now all they can do is refer to it in a dissembling way, dishonest way...as if he weren't doing what Jefferson, Washington and other Revolutionaries had done as well...<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>and they never mention that he called off his coup attempt in order to form a political party and wait to win power through an election.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>gc <p></p><i></i>
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Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby greencrow0 » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:57 am

from the CNN<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>POSTED: 0253 GMT (1053 HKT), September 23, 2006 <br>Adjust font size:<br><br>"NEW YORK (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department apologized Saturday for the brief detention of Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro by airport security in New York, but a senior White House official said Maduro brought it on himself. <br><br>Maduro was detained and released at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport after a run-in with security personnel, the foreign minister said.<br><br>"The State Department regrets this incident. The United States government apologized to Foreign Minister Maduro and the Venezuelan government," said State Department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos. <br><br>Maduro told CNN en Español that as he reached out to pick up an item that had been screened at a security checkpoint, security personnel told him he was prohibited from doing so.<br><br>Maduro identified himself as a Venezuela government official, but they nonetheless took him to a room for a more thorough screening, he said. Maduro claims he was kept in the room for 90 minutes.<br><br>When a State Department representative showed up, the official asked Maduro to spread his arms and legs for a search, but he refused, Maduro said, adding that the actions violated his international and diplomatic rights. <br><br>"We were detained illegally by the U.S. government," Maduro later told reporters. "They are responsible for this." <br><br>He called the U.S. government "racist" and "Nazi" and said the United States does not appreciate Latin American countries. He has filed a complaint with the United Nations, he said. <br><br>A senior White House official said airport officials did not know who Maduro was. The Venezuelan government never made arrangements through State Department Diplomatic Security, which is customary when a high-ranking foreign official is traveling, the official said.<br><br>Maduro, his wife and child arrived at the airport 30 minutes before their flight to Caracas via Miami, Florida, and paid for their tickets in cash, raising red flags with airport security, the official said. <br><br>Maduro was screened and asked to go through a second security check, and a disagreement ensued when the foreign minister refused and began making calls on his cell phone, the official said.<br><br>Only after his cell phone, travel documents and passport were confiscated did Maduro explain that he is a diplomat, the official said. <br><br>After the disagreement was resolved, Maduro was given permission to board his plane but opted instead to stay in New York, the White House official said. <br><br>"We apologize for it, but at the same time the Venezuelan mission working out of New York knows better," the official said. "There are procedures and processes to request airport courtesies for dignitaries. You don't come to the airport and buy a ticket with cash a half hour before the flight." <br><br>Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon called Maduro to personally apologize for the incident, the official said. <br><br>The annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly began Tuesday in New York. <br><br>At that meeting, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lambasted U.S. President Bush during a speech, calling him "the devil."<br><br>The speech was condemned by U.S. officials, including some of Bush's normally most outspoken critics. (Full story)<br><br>Informed of the incident, Chavez said on Venezuelan state television, "This is a provocation from Mr. Devil." <br><br>Maduro said the incident was retaliation for Chavez's speech. However, the White House official said there was no connection."<br><br>=====================<br><br>Cheap, cowardly payback. Why doesn't Bush debate Chavez on globalization instead?<br><br>gc<br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby greencrow0 » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:00 pm

XXXFROMHISPERSONALCOLLECTIONXXX<br>The greencrow's peerless prediction of the month. <br><br>In a couple of weeks...or perhaps more...a photo of the Venezuelan Diplomat will turn up on the Internet. <br><br>He'll be in his undershorts [a la Saddam] and be in the process of being strip searched. <br><br>All those interrogation rooms in the airports have video camera surveilance, right? <br><br>You can bet Bush gave his stormtroopers these orders: <br><br>"Don't come back without a pic of the guy in his skivvies!"<br><br><br>gc<br><br><br>NOTE: I commonly use the expression:<br><br>XXXFROMHISPERSONALCOLLECTIONXXX<br><br>to denote references to the Bushling's prediliction for violent porn pics [a la abu ghraib] of dark skinned men. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=greencrow0>greencrow0</A> at: 9/24/06 7:03 pm<br></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:16 pm

Scheeze, it looks to me like the guy was trying to slip on the plane anonymously.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"...After the disagreement was resolved, Maduro was given permission to board his plane but opted instead to stay in New York, the White House official said...."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>And then he changed his plans abruptly. Whaddaya wanna bet he's afraid the real terrorists were going to blow his plane up? Wouldn't be the first time our people have done that.<br><br> <br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby Seamus OBlimey » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:44 pm

Mmm? Does this set a precedent?<br><br>I mean, if this guy can be 'detained' by the US over allegations of 'crimes' comitted outside the US, where does that leave the Bushists? <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby greencrow0 » Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:40 pm

chiggerbit<br><br>I noticed that bit too....I think they said he could leave...but, did they give him his travel docs back?<br><br>gc <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:49 am

Wouldn't YOU be leary, too?<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubana_Flight_455">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubana_Flight_455</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.lossless-audio.com/usa/index0.php?page=1954809194.htm">www.lossless-audio.com/us...809194.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=chiggerbit@rigorousintuition>chiggerbit</A> at: 9/24/06 10:56 pm<br></i>
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Re: Venezuelan official briefly detained at New York airport

Postby Infernal Optimist » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:43 pm

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Only after his cell phone, travel documents and passport were confiscated did Maduro explain that he is a diplomat, the official said.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Wait a minute. Don't diplomats have special passports? Why, <br><A href="http://www.answers.com/topic/passport ">yes</A>, I believe they do:<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Diplomatic personnel are issued diplomatic passports which identify them as diplomatic representatives of their home country. Although they may then enjoy certain privileges in the country they are performing their duties in (including diplomatic immunity after the host country grants accreditation to the passport holder as a member of a diplomatic mission), this is a consequence of their position rather than the possession of a Diplomatic Passport</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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