Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 3 June 2019
“El Chapo” mother says U.S

approved visa to visit drug lord

By MARCELO VIANO and
AMY GUTHRIE
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The
mother of convicted drug
kingpin Joaquin “El Cha-
po” Guzmán said Saturday
that the U.S. Embassy in
Mexico City granted her a
visa so she can visit her son
in prison. In this June 1, 2018, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump,
Sitting in a wheelchair in right, talks with Kim Yong Chol, former North Korean military
front of the embassy, Con- intelligence chief and one of leader Kim Jong Un’s closest
suelo Loera said she and aides, as they walk from their meeting in the Oval Office of
two daughters were both the White House in Washington. Associated Press
approved Saturday for vi- Consuelo Loera, mother of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El
sas to travel to the United Chapo” Guzman, arrives to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Top North Korean
States. Mexico, Saturday, June 1, 2019.
“Thank God, the U.S. Em- Associated Press official reappears
bassy gave me the permis- If she could bring him any- “El Chapo,” who led the
sion,” she said in a feeble thing, Loera said, it would Sinaloa drug cartel and days after purge report
voice while surrounded by be his favorite Mexican twice escaped from Mexi-
a throng of journalists: food dish: enchiladas. can prisons before he was By KIM TONG-HYUNG of the second summit in
Loera, 91, said she hasn’t Mexican President Andrés extradited to New York, Associated Press February over what the
seen her son in more than Manuel López Obrador was convicted of running SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Americans described as
four years. She added that lobbied for the visa to be an industrial-scale smug- — A senior North Korean excessive North Korean
she has yet to receive the issued after receiving a let- gling operation. The three- official who had been demands for sanctions
actual visa or set a date for ter in February from Loera month trial heard tales of reported as purged over relief in exchange for only
her trip. asking for assistance. In grisly killings, political pay- the failed nuclear sum- a partial surrender of its
A U.S. official declined to the letter, passed to López offs, cocaine hidden in mit with Washington was nuclear capabilities. Kim
confirm that the visa was Obrador while he was in jalapeno cans and jewel- shown in state media on Jong Un since then has
granted. Guzman’s home state of encrusted guns. Monday enjoying a con- said the United States has
Jose Luis González, a law- Sinaloa to announce a Guzmán’s lawyers did not cert alongside leader Kim until the end of the year
yer for Guzmán, said Loera highway project, Loera de- deny his crimes but argued Jong Un. to come up with mutually
was given a paper after scribed herself as “suffering that he was a fall guy for North Korean publica- acceptable terms for a
the interview stating that and desperate” to see her government witnesses who tions on Monday showed deal to salvage the ne-
U.S. officials would get in son. were more evil than their Kim Yong Chol sitting gotiations.
touch if they need more The president said he inter- client. near a clapping Kim Jong Chosun Ilbo also report-
information. González also vened out of empathy for He is due to be sentenced Un and other top officials ed that senior envoy
said the three women were the mother. When Guzmán this month and faces a during a musical perfor- Kim Hyok Chol, who was
approved for travel. was convicted in the U.S. in life term in a maximum-se- mance by the wives of involved in pre-summit
“Did you see how excited February, López Obrador curity U.S. prison selected Korean People’s Army of- working-level talks with
she was?” said González, said: “Let this serve as a to guard against another ficers. American officials, was
repeating Loera’s state- lesson to show that money of the jail breakouts that Kim Yong Chol has been executed with four other
ment that she wants to hug doesn’t buy true happi- made him a folk hero in North Korea’s top nuclear officials from the North’s
her son. ness.” Mexico.q negotiator and the coun- Foreign Ministry for be-

Canada suspends operations terpart of U.S. Secretary traying Kim Jong Un after
of State Mike Pompeo being won over by the
United States.
since Kim Jong Un en-
at embassy in Venezuela tered nuclear talks with South Korea’s govern-
the U.S. early last year. He ment and media have a
By ROB GILLIES the restoration of democ- pointed by the Maduro re- traveled to Washington mixed record on tracking
Associated Press racy in Venezuela,” Free- gime to Canada. and met President Don- developments among
TORONTO (AP) — Canada land said. “Unfortunately, Canada has played a key ald Trump twice before North Korea’s ruling elite,
suspended operations at its at the end of this month, role within the Lima Group, Kim’s two summits with made difficult by Pyong-
embassy in Venezuela on Canadian diplomats in which is made up of nearly Trump. yang’s stringent control
Sunday, saying the regime Venezuela will no longer a dozen Latin American South Korean news- of information about
of Venezuelan President be in a position to obtain nations and Canada. It has paper Chosun Ilbo last them. Seoul’s spy service
Nicolás Maduro regime diplomatic accreditation led the push to recognize week cited an unidenti- has said it could not con-
would not renew visas for under the Maduro regime, opposition lawmaker Juan fied source to report that firm the newspaper’s re-
its diplomats. and their visas will expire. Guaidó as Venezuela’s Kim Yong Chol had been port, while the presiden-
Foreign Minister Chrystia Therefore, we are left with rightful leader and seeks sentenced to hard labor tial Blue House declined
Freeland said in a state- no choice but to temporar- ways to remove Maduro. following the collapse to comment.q
ment that Canada had no ily suspend our operations Freeland said Canada
choice. at the Embassy of Canada will continue to speak out
“The regime has taken to Venezuela, effective im- against the Maduro re-
steps to limit the ability of mediately.” gime.
foreign embassies to func- Freeland said Canada is Freeland is attending a
tion in Venezuela, particu- evaluating the status of Lima Group meeting in
larly those advocating for Venezuelan diplomats ap- New York on Monday.q