Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 6 december 2017

Venezuela’s UN ambassador resigns on orders from Maduro

tacking corruption at state- four-page letter.
run oil company PDVSA, “I wouldn’t want to imag-
which Ramirez led for over ine how the attacks and
a decade. vilification will increase now
But in a post on social me- for expressing my opinions
dia, Ramirez said: “I’ve and stating my position in
been removed for my defense of the revolution,”
opinions.” In a rambling, he added.
sometimes supplicant pub- Ramirez is the highest-level
lic letter to his former boss, official to break with Mad-
Foreign Minister Jorge Ar- uro since chief prosecutor
reaza, Ramirez described Luisa Ortega criticized the
feeling heartbroken to no president’s attempts to gut
longer be serving the revo- the opposition-controlled
lution started by the late congress and rewrite the
Hugo Chavez, to whom he constitution — actions that
was a very close and trust- garnered international re-
ed aide. buke and triggered months
But as international pres- of anti-government pro-
sure on Venezuela has in- tests. Like Ortega, who
creased amid an unprec- was ousted earlier this
edented economic crisis, year, Ramirez pledged al-
he said he felt the need to legiance to Chavez’s revo-
speak out on policies he lution in his farewell missive
In this Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Venezuela U.N. Ambassador Rafael Ramirez stands outside the Security knew a great deal about and gave no indication
Council following consultations at U.N. headquarters. Ramirez said on social media Tuesday, from his 12-year run atop that he would turn against
Dec. 5, 2017, that he had tendered his resignation at the request of President Nicolas Maduro for PDVSA, the source of al- his former comrades and
publicly expressing his opinions on economic issues. most all of Venezuela’s for- assist U.S. authorities seeking
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) eign currency earnings. to isolate Maduro. Ramirez
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ Nicolas Maduro, a sign of speculation about the dip- “I remain committed to in- in his letter defended his
JOSHUA GOODMAN growing divisions in the rul- lomatic envoy’s political sisting at the highest levels record as PDVSA’s presi-
Associated Press ing socialist party amid a standing after a cousin and of the government for the dent, saying that under his
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) deepening economic cri- several former acolytes need for deep reflection leadership the oil company
— Venezuela’s former oil sis. were arrested in a highly- so we can retake the suc- successfully defeated at-
czar resigned as ambassa- Rafael Ramirez said on publicized purge in the oil cessful path laid out by Co- tempts at “sabotage” and
dor to the United Nations social media that he ten- industry. mandante Chavez for the contributed to Venezuela’s
Tuesday on what he said dered his resignation a day Maduro has been trying to benefit of our people and economic and social de-
were orders from President prior, ending a week of fortify his mandate by at- homeland,” he wrote in the velopment. q
Falklands: Argentina tells families results of soldier IDs

By PAUL BYRNE Argentine soldiers buried in fallen troops Tuesday. Both countries reached a al Committee of the Red
Associated Press a Falklands Islands ceme- Argentina lost the war af- deal last year to identify Cross, were presented to
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina tery after the 1982 war with ter troops from the South the remains. eight families at the head-
(AP) — A forensic study that Britain was presented to American country invaded Results of the report, which quarters of Argentina’s sec-
identified the remains of 88 some of the families of the the British-run archipelago. was led by the Internation- retariat for human rights.q