00:00Movement for social justice leader David Abdullah has taken note of a Diwali dinner
00:04Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissessa hosted for U.S. embassy officials
00:08amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.
00:12Abdullah says this includes the sanctioning of the CIA by President Donald Trump
00:17to engage in covert operations in Venezuela.
00:20For her to be hosting officials of the U.S. for Diwali dinner was most inappropriate.
00:27And if you hosted a dinner for the entire diplomatic corps, that would be a different thing.
00:33But when you host a dinner for the U.S. embassy officials, that is most inappropriate,
00:38especially as CARICOM eventually did have a meeting yesterday and a statement was issued.
00:44That statement called for dialogue towards peaceful resolution
00:47and maintaining the region as a zone of peace.
00:51Abdullah is pleased that CARICOM finally met on the matter and took a position,
00:55noting that just last Thursday, the Assembly of Caribbean People engaged in demonstration
01:00and made the call to CARICOM.
01:03And from your view, Mr. Abdullah, what does that signal,
01:06that hosting of that Diwali dinner for officials of the U.S. embassy?
01:10Well, it says, the posting of that dinner says, in my view,
01:15you know, that the Prime Minister has doubled down more than once,
01:19more than twice, more than three times now,
01:21on her position of supporting, unquestionably supporting,
01:26uncritically supporting the foreign policy position of the United States
01:29insofar as sending military deployment to the Southern Caribbean
01:34and its intentions to deal with the Maduro government.
01:39And that is not a good thing.
01:40Abdullah notes the announcement of the retirement of head of the U.S. Southern Command,
01:45Admiral Alvin Halsey,
01:47amid the attacks carried out by the U.S. military in the Caribbean.
01:50In commentaries in the U.S. media, on CNN, on MSNBC and others,
01:58identifying that the strikes against the boats in the Caribbean by the U.S.
02:03are illegal, contrary to international law.
02:07And that, you know, this may have been one of the reasons
02:10why the head of U.S. Southern Command decided to resign his position.
02:14Abdullah says the country could have taken an independent position
02:18while maintaining its relationship with both countries,
02:21as it has done in the past on issues such as the Israel-Palestine war.
02:25Pertaining to the U.S. Embassy advisory to its citizens,
02:28telling them to stay away from all U.S. government buildings over the Diwali weekend,
02:33he questions the embassy's intentions.
02:35It is the U.S. Embassy simply trying to create, you know,
02:39a certain amount of confusion and panic in Trinidad and Tobago.
02:43It is the U.S. Embassy going to try to raise what is known as a false flag,
02:49in other words, to create an issue that is not real in order to justify something else.
02:57Abdullah says it leaves room for speculation and rumors,
03:00and he calls on the government to address the nation on it,
03:04especially in light of the TTPS saying it is also unheightened alert.
03:09Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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