Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Tuesday 2 February 2016

Venezuela’s UN envoy: Not concerned about U.S. investigations

ALEXANDRA OLSON
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) —
Venezuela’s ambassador
to the United Nations dis-
missed the possibility of co-
operating with U.S. investi-
gations into a billion-dollar
bribery schemes that alleg-
edly occurred at the coun-
try’s state-run oil company
while he was in charge.
The allegations surrounding
corruption at the PDVSA
oil company cast a pall
over Ambassador Rafael
Ramirez as Venezuela took
over the rotating presiden-
cy of the Security Council
on Monday.

It was a long-held dream of In this June 11, 2014, file photo, Venezuela’s Rafael Ramirez, Minister of Popular Power of Petroleum and Mining, speaks to journal-
the late Venezuelan Presi- ists prior to the start of a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, at their headquarters in Vienna,
dent Hugo Chavez to win a Austria.
seat at the Security Coun-
cil, a high-profile platform Associated Press
to showcase his defiance
of a U.S.-led world order. “While we don’t have a bank in Andorra of laun- they would show me that cy as its economy teeters
Venezuela finally achieved troops and will never have dering some $2 billion sto- lack of respect.” on the brink of collapse,
that goal in 2014 under troops abroad, we are go- len from PDVSA. The ambassador was terse reeling from a plunge oil
President Nicolas Maduro, ing to raise our voice,” he Ramirez was the president while discussing allegations prices, a severe shortage of
more than a year after said. “Some countries on of PDVSA for a decade un- of corruption at PDVSA but dollars and inflation running
Chavez died of cancer. the Security Council decide til 2014. He said he did not he dismissed the U.S. inves- into the triple digits.
Venezuela will hold the Se- on their own which govern- know the two businessmen, tigations as an attempt to Last month, Secretary-
curity Council presidency ments are legitimate and Abraham Jose Shiera Bas- undermine Maduro’s gov- General Ban Ki-moon an-
for the month of February, which are not.” tidas and Roberto Rincon, ernment, which has had nounced that Venezuela
getting the chance to in- who were arrested in De- tense relations with Wash- was one of 15 countries in
fluence the agenda of the Ramirez said he was not cember on charges de- ington. arrears in paying its annu-
most powerful U.N. body. concerned about the pos- tailed in an indictment filed al contribution to the U.N.
Ramirez said he plans a Se- sibility of being indicted as in federal court in Houston. “There has always been regular budget, resulting in
curity Council debate on part of U.S. investigations Asked if he had been con- interference in our affairs,” a temporary loss of its vot-
Feb. 15 on one of Chavez’s into corruption at PDVSA, tacted by U.S. authorities Ramirez said. “We are used ing rights at the General As-
favorite themes: defending which have led to the re- seeking his cooperation, to it. We understand that all sembly.
the national sovereignty of cent arrests of two Ven- Ramirez shook his head of this is a political confron- The U.N. said Venezuela
countries against what he ezuelan businessmen who and asked rhetorically, “Do tation and we accept that. paid its debt last week.
saw as U.S. meddling in do- allegedly paid more than you think I am going to ac- If we took it personally, we Ramirez denied that the
mestic affairs. $1 billion in bribes to secure cept the jurisdiction of an- would just make our lives delay had anything to do
Ramirez cited the U.S.-led contracts with the compa- other country on national miserable.” with Venezuela’s econom-
military operations in Syria. ny. Last year, the U.S. Trea- matters?” Venezuela takes over the ic difficulties, calling it an
He differentiated that from sury Department accused He added: “I don’t think Security Council presiden- “administrative matter.”q
Russia’s bombing cam-
paign in Syria, which has
the approval of the govern-
ment of President Bashar
Assad. Venezuela has of-
ten taken Russia’s side in
Security Council disagree-
ments over how to address
the Syrian civil war.