Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 22 June 2017
Russia cancels diplomatic meeting in wake of U.S. sanctions

MOSCOW (AP) — The upcoming talks.
Kremlin voiced displeasure In Washington, State De-
Wednesday about new partment spokeswoman
United States sanctions Heather Nauert said the
against Russia and called United States regretted
off much-anticipated talks Russia’s decision to “turn
with a senior U.S adminis- away” from a chance to
tration official in response. discuss obstacles in the
The Trump administration U.S.-Russia relationship,
announced Tuesday that but added that the U.S.
it had imposed sanctions remains open to negotia-
on 38 Russian individuals tions with Russia.
and firms over Russian ac- Nauert also said the sanc-
tivities in Ukraine. Treasury tions that were expanded
Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday “didn’t come
said the penalties were out of nowhere” and would
designed to “maintain remain in place until Russia
pressure on Russia to work honors the peace deal for
toward a diplomatic solu- eastern Ukraine and stops
tion.” occupying Crimea.
President Vladimir Putin’s Russia-U.S. relations have
spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, remained tense even as
said Wednesday that the the White House considers
U.S. move wasn’t construc- scheduling President Don-
tive and warned of pos- ald Trump’s meeting with
sible retaliation. Putin on the sidelines of
Later in the day, Russia’s Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, walks past an honour guard before a meeting with his Brazil- next month’s Group of 20
deputy foreign minister ian counterpart Michel Temer at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. meeting.
Associated Press
said he had cancelled Peskov on Wednesday re-
talks that were scheduled affirmed the possibility of
for Friday with the U.S. un- cive to holding a round of Deputy Foreign Minister U.S. for “not having offered such a meeting, but said
dersecretary of state. this dialogue”, the Russian Sergei Ryabkov as saying. and not offering anything that no preparations had
“The situation is not condu- Foreign Ministry quoted Ryabkov also criticized the specific” to discuss at the been made yet.q
OAS struggles to create mediation group for Venezuela

By MARK STEVENSON said the U.S. and its allies
Associated Press probably didn’t have the
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) two-thirds of votes needed
— Foreign ministers from to put the human rights
throughout the Americas resolution on the agenda
failed yet again Wednes- again. The diplomats also
day at reaching an agree- declined to piggyback the
ment on mediating in Ven- mediation group proposal
ezuela’s intractable politi- on a rights resolution that
cal crisis. might win approval with a
The United States strongly simple majority of the 35
pushed the idea of creat- members.
ing a “group of friends” like Still, some nations pledged
the one that mediated in to push on with efforts to
the Central American civil do something about the
wars of the 1980s. The U.S. increasingly bloody po-
viewed that as the least litical strife in Venezuela
the OAS could do after a has left at least 70 people
stronger resolution on Ven- dead and more than 1,300
ezuela failed to pass on injured, and the country’s
Monday. economy is in tatters
But Luis Alfonso de Alba, “The possibility is open
Mexico’s representative of creating a mediation
to the OAS, said the me- Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez smiles during a press conference at the Organiza- group or group of friends
diation proposal wasn’t tion of American States General Assembly, in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. that is acceptable to both
included in any of the res- Associated Press sides,” said Chilean Foreign
olutions to be voted on in Minister Heraldo Munoz,
a closing session Wednes- session late Wednesday, and complained of U.S. at- bly rewriting Venezuela’s who added the idea “is
day. “The resolution on chanting “asesinos” or tempts to interfere in the constitution, a move Presi- supported by a significant
human rights has been fin- “murderers.” country. dent Nicolas Maduro an- number of countries in the
ished, and it isn’t in there,” Later, just before the close Then she told the assem- nounced earlier this month. hemisphere.”
De Alba said. of the final session, Venezu- bled diplomats that she Diplomats at the General The challenge, he said,
A small group of Ven- elan Foreign Minister Delcy would be stepping aside Assembly of the Organi- is picking members that
ezuelan opposition activ- Rodriguez referred to the as minister to be a candi- zation of American States both sides are comfortable
ists briefly interrupted the protesters as “fanatics” date for the special assem- meeting in Cancun had with.q