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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 23 – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for New Years was in Brazil for the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro. While there, he met Peru's foreign minster and others about Venezuela. Now on January 23 Pompeo has announced, "The United States recognizes Juan Guaido as the new interim President of Venezuela, and strongly supports his courageous decision to assume that role pursuant to Article 233 of Venezuela’s constitution and supported by the National Assembly, in restoring democracy to Venezuela.  As President Trump said, “The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law.”  The Venezuelan people have suffered long enough under Nicolas Maduro’s disastrous dictatorship.  We call on Maduro to step aside in favor of a legitimate leader reflecting the will of the Venezuelan people.  The United States supports President Guaido as he establishes a transitional government, and leads Venezuela, as the country prepares for free and fair elections.  We urge all Venezuelans to support peacefully this democratic process, as granted in the 1999 Constitution.  We will work closely with the legitimately elected National Assembly to facilitate the transition of Venezuela back to democracy and the rule of law, consistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter.  The United States also stands ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela as conditions allow.     The Venezuelan people are clamoring for a free and democratic Venezuela.  As we have said before, the United States, with the international community, including the Organization of American States, the Lima Group, and the European Union, support the Venezuelan people as they seek to restore their democracy.  We repeat our call to the Venezuelan military and security forces to support democracy and protect all Venezuelan citizens.     The new Venezuelan government carries the flame of democracy on behalf of Venezuela.  The United States pledges our continued support to President Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people." From Brazil at the beginning of January Pompeo's Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino issued this read out: "Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Peruvian Foreign Minister Néstor Popolizio Bardales [and]  applauded Peru’s efforts in accommodating more than 600,000 Venezuelan refugees and migrants who have fled the worsening economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.  Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Popolizio discussed the need to increase pressure on the Maduro regime to return democracy and prosperity to the Venezuelan people." Now on January 15, this from US Vice President Mike Pence: "Vice President Pence spoke by phone today with Juan Guaido, the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, to recognize his courageous leadership following his arrest and intimidation this weekend, and to express the United States’ resolute support for the National Assembly of Venezuela as the only legitimate democratic body in the country. The Vice President firmly emphasized that the long-standing goal of the United States and all freedom-loving nations is to restore democracy to Venezuela through free and fair elections, and end the unprecedented humanitarian and economic crises in the once-rich cradle of Bolivar. Vice President Pence encouraged Mr. Guaido to build unity among political groups, and pledged continued support from the United States until democracy is restored. " On January 12, US State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino has issued this"We stand with the Venezuelan people, and we praise the fierce commitment to democratic principles of the elected members of the Venezuelan National Assembly.  We commend the courage of the National Assembly’s leadership, particularly its president, Juan Guaido, and his decision to invoke the authorities of the Venezuelan Constitution.  We call on all Venezuelans to uphold and respect the role of the National Assembly, as established in the Venezuelan Constitution of 1999, and, in particular, for the security forces and the armed forces to respect all protections the constitution affords to Guaido and the other members of the National Assembly, especially their safety and welfare.  The people of Venezuela deserve to live in freedom in a democratic society governed by the rule of law.  It is time to begin the orderly transition to a new government. We support the National Assembly’s call for all Venezuelans to work together, peacefully, to restore constitutional government and build a better future.  The United States government will continue to use the full weight of U.S. economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela."  On January 10 Pompeo issued a statement beginning: "The United States condemns Maduro’s illegitimate usurpation of power today following the unfree and unfair elections he imposed on the Venezuelan people on May 20, 2018. The United States remains steadfast in its support of the Venezuelan people and will continue to use the full weight of U.S. economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy.  Today, we reiterate our support for Venezuela’s National Assembly, the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people. It is time for Venezuela to begin a transitional process that can restore the constitutional, democratic order by holding free and fair elections that respect the will of the Venezuelan people.  To advance this goal, the United States has taken aggressive action against the Maduro regime and its enablers. Most recently, on January 8, the United States imposed sanctions on seven individuals and 23 entities involved in a corruption scheme to exploit Venezuela’s currency exchange practices. By rigging the system in their favor, these individuals and entities stole more than $2.4 billion..."  On January 4, foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada announced in Lima that their governments would not recognize Maduro as president if he attempts to remain in office and urged him to turn over power to the National Assembly. The Maduro government accused this Lima Group of "encouraging a coup d'etat" on instructions from the Trump administration. Mexico, which is a member of the group, withheld its support for the statement. Where is this going? On corruption, UNSG Antonio Guterres has for weeks refused Inner City Press' questions about why it is not a conflict of interest to refuse to audit CEFC when in 2018 it tried to buy Partex Oil & Gas from the Gulbenkian Foundation of which Guterres has been a paid board member... Following the second round of elections in Brazil, on October 29 UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres congratulated the Brazilian people or so his Spokesman said at noon and US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in the afternoon provided this read out: "Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke by phone today with Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro. The Secretary congratulated Mr. Bolsonaro on his win and reinforced the vibrant partnership between the United States and Brazil based on our mutual commitment to promote security, democracy, economic prosperity, and human rights. They discussed collaboration on priority foreign policy issues including Venezuela, countering transnational crime, and ways to strengthen economic ties between the United States and Brazil, the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere." Will have more on this - and on Brazil and the UN now. When the UN's First Committee met for the first time in this 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, it was a fight and recorded vote on Day 1. Brazil proposed a briefing by the Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean; Syria said there should be more time to consider it. Finally Brazil called for action, and it was the United States and Israel which voted No, along with 27 abstentions, and 86 for. Elected Noël Diarra (Mali) and José Ataíde Amaral (Portugal) as Vice-Chairs joining Vice-Chair Marissa Edwards (Guyana) and Muna Zawani Idris (Brunei), the Rapporteur. Inner City Press, banned from the UN and its General Assembly and member states for the 93d day by Secreary General Antonio Guterres, could only live tweet, not ask questions. Committee chair Ion Jirga repeated told member states, the ball is is your court. It is not a good beginning. Nor this: When the Security Council President for October, Ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz of Bolivia, held a Press-less press conference on October 3, he was asked by a Yemeni journalist "with the Atlantic Council" about being blocked by the Bolivian Mission. He said, We will unblock you right away - in contrast to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who blocks banned Inner City Press with no reversal and these days, no answers. With Inner City Press not able to be present, the Western Sahara question Llorenti received was why it wasn't move covered up, why there was so many meetings about MINURSO. (It is only one month a year, the renewal, with consultations and adoption and one TCC meeting.) There was nothing on Cameroon. Llorenti talked up his upcoming field trip to DR Congo, like the Security Council visit he led to Haiti, which Inner City Press went on and reported from. But now that Guterres for his own reasons has had Inner City Press roughed up and banned since July 3, Llorenti's Mission has yet to respond to this, regarding (now) October 11: "find myself banned from even entering the UN, since 3 July 2018 when I was physically ousted while staking out the Fifth Committee meeting from the Vienna Cafe area, at the invitation of member states on the Committee. I would like to request that you / your Mission ensure that I can enter the UN to cover and hopefully ask a question at your Program of Work press conference tomorrow, and after that to cover / stakeout such meetings at the October 11 consultations on Western Sahara / MINURSO, which is almost impossible to cover without being in the building. As you may know, there are numerous Morocco state media given office space and resident correspondent status by DPI under USG Alison Smale, who has refused to answer a single one of my 10 e-mails. They will cover the Western Sahara meeting, from their perspective. I believe I have a similar right to continue this issue.
Responsible are Chef de Cabinet Viotti (who was called by the Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press) and/or DSG Amina Mohammed. Or, pending that, please have the Mission bring me in to these meetings. The only written communication I have received from the UN is this letter from USG Smale, here." We'll have more on this.

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