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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 3 February 2018
U.S. diplomat: Utah man jailed in Venezuela blocks dialogue

By SCOTT SMITH hasn’t shied from taking
Associated Press jabs at Maduro’s socialist
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) administration.
— The Trump administra- Days after he arrived in
tion’s top diplomat in Ven- Caracas, the U.S. Embas-
ezuela pressed for the re- sy posted a comment on
lease of a jailed Utah man Twitter calling the new Na-
Thursday, saying the case tional Constituent Assem-
is the main obstacle to im- bly “illegitimate,” saying it
proving strained relations engages in undemocratic
between the two countries. practices and is “inventing
Todd Robinson told The As- rules” as it goes.
sociated Press it is a “trag- The president of the pro-
edy” that Joshua Holt has government constitution-
been imprisoned the past writing assembly, Delcy
19 months on what the Rodriguez, retorted that
U.S. considers trumped-up Robinson was beginning his
charges. diplomatic assignment on
The diplomat said he is “the wrong foot.”
holding Venezuelan For- The U.S. diplomat has lob-
eign Minister Jorge Arreaza bied hard for Holt’s release,
personally responsible if raising it in his first face-to-
anything that happens to face meeting with Arreaza
Holt while in jail. and tweeting about his
“I believe he can and he plight three times.
must resolve the situation,” In this July 13, 2016 file photo, Laurie Holt holds a photograph of her son Joshua Holt at her home, Venezuela and the United
Robinson said of Arreaza. in Riverton, Utah. States haven’t exchanged
“If he truly wants to talk Associated Press ambassadors since 2010, so
about the other important Venezuela authorities al- zuela, which were already Maduro remains in power, Robinson holds the position
issues between the United lege Holt used his wife’s tense from previous U.S. calling the prisoner a po- of chief of mission in the U.S.
States and Venezuela, we apartment in Caracas to administrations. The Trump litical hostage. The official Embassy in Caracas, while
can do that, but only after stockpile weapons and administration has slapped agreed to discuss the case preserving his ambassado-
Joshua Holt is free.” have linked him to unspeci- sanctions on dozens of se- only if not quoted by name rial rank.
Holt has languished in a fied attempts by the U.S. nior Venezuelan officials because he wasn’t autho- Robinson has led a long
Caracas jail cell since June to undermine President with the goal of weakening rized to publicly discuss U.S. diplomatic career special-
2016 when he was arrested Nicolas Maduro’s rule amid Maduro’s grip on power. policy on Venezuela. izing in Latin America, serv-
on weapons charges dur- deep economic and politi- Arreaza’s office and the “I don’t see any scenario ing as ambassador to Gua-
ing a visit to Venezuela to cal turbulence. Holt’s fam- Ministry of Communications where they just up and re- temala for three years until
get married. Holt met his ily says an assault rifle and did not respond to requests turn him,” the official said, September.
wife, Theresa Caleno, in an a grenade found in the for comment. adding that President Don- Along the way, he earned
online website for Spanish- apartment were planted. A senior administration offi- ald Trump is personally fol- a reputation for speak-
speaking Mormons. She The case has become a cial in Washington said U.S. lowing the case. ing out and several times
also remains jailed as an al- major thorn in relations be- officials fear it is unlikely Holt Since landing in Venezuela faced calls for his expulsion
leged accomplice. tween the U.S. and Vene- will be released as long as six weeks ago, Robinson from past assignments.q

Fidel Castro’s son mourned

in Cuba after suicide

Cuba with the man who Diaz-Balart divorced Castro nuclear program, but fired
expelled them after taking and received custody of by his father in the 1990s.
power. their son. The fall of the Soviet Union
Fidel Castro married young Mirta Diaz-Balart and her later paralyzed Cuba’s civil
aristocrat Mirta Diaz-Balart second husband fled Cuba nuclear program, including
after they met at the Uni- for Spain in the 1960s, and plans to build a reactor.
versity of Havana in 1948. Fidelito was sent to study Fidelito publicly reap-
In this March 14, 2012 file photo, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, son She came from a family physics in the Soviet Union. peared at the end of the
of then Cuban leader Fidel Castro, speaks with an unidentified closely tied to strongman He became an advocate 1990s and was named a
woman during the presentation of his father’s book “Nuestro De-
ber es Luchar,” or “Our Duty is to Fight,” in Havana, Cuba. Fulgencio Batista and her for the civilian use of nucle- scientific adviser to the
Associated Press father served in Batista’s ar power and his mother Council of State and vice
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart was cabinet. later visited him several president of the Cuban
Associated Press known as Fidelito, or Little Fidelito was born a year times in Cuba, where he Academy of Sciences, fre-
HAVANA (AP) — Fidel Cas- Fidel, for his resemblance after his parents married. had returned. He had five quently representing the
tro’s oldest son was mourn- to his father. A nuclear The boy saw relatively little half brothers from Castro’s country in scientific confer-
ed in Cuba on Friday after physicist by training, Castro of his father, who was im- second marriage, and a ences overseas but never
the unusually public an- Diaz-Balart, 68, was the off- prisoned for his role in the half sister from another one assuming a position of po-
nouncement of his suicide spring of a family that com- armed struggle to oust Ba- of his father’s relationships. litical power in Cuba.
following a long depres- bined the aristocratic class tista, fleeing to Mexico in Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart was His father died in Novem-
sion. that ruled pre-revolutionary 1955 after his release. Mirta named head of Cuba’s ber 2016 at age 90.q