00:00The Prime Minister's stern warning came during a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday,
00:06in direct response to claims by the Venezuelan leader that Colombian terrorists had attempted
00:11to breach Venezuela's border from Trinidad and Tobago.
00:16Mrs. Prasad-Bissassa said while Venezuela may act as it wants within its own border,
00:21such actions will not be tolerated here.
00:24She warned that Trinidad and Tobago's territory is strictly off-limits.
00:30Dr. Brown, however, says the Prime Minister's approach was ill-advised and counterproductive.
00:36He stresses that Trinidad and Tobago must prioritize maintaining the region as a zone of peace.
00:43The comments we heard yesterday do not appear conducive to the maintenance of a zone of peace
00:52in the Caribbean Sea and Trinidad and Tobago's responsible role in matters like this.
01:02Further reinforcing her stance, the Prime Minister said no amount of rhetoric from the Maduro administration
01:09would drive a wedge between her UNC-led government and the United States.
01:14She said, quote,
01:15We stand solidly with the American government on the issues concerning Venezuela, end quote.
01:22That, too, caused concern for Dr. Brown, as he notes that TNT usually postures itself as a non-aligned country.
01:31Particularly in the circumstances where there is an allegation or claim that a national of Trinidad and Tobago,
01:41one or more nationals of Trinidad and Tobago, have been caught in an illegal act in another country.
01:49It's an unusual response to that.
01:52Further, the former foreign affairs minister notes that cooler heads and diplomatic channels are essential,
01:59especially in moments of heightened geopolitical sensitivity.
02:04There were no threats made against Trinidad and Tobago as quoted by the Prime Minister himself.
02:13What he did was to perceive a threat based on tangential comments
02:19and then react to that with direct threats of our own against any vessels crossing the border.
02:28Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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