Venezuela Expresses to Caricom Will to Negotiate with Guyana

Brazil has offered to mediate in a possible dialogue between the two countries.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil held a meeting on Thursday with the pro tempore president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Roosevelt Skerrit, in which he expressed Venezuela's willingness to enter into direct negotiations with Guyana regarding the territorial dispute over the Essequibo.

Gil presented Caricom's representative the results of the consultative referendum in defense of the Essequibo Guyana held on Sunday, December 3. The National Electoral Council (CNE), has said that more than 10,500,000 Venezuelans voted in favor of defending Essequibo.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted the determination of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to adjust to the Geneva Agreement to address the dispute with Guyana through direct negotiations that guarantee regional peace.

In a statement released on his official X account, Gil detailed that the also prime minister of Dominica was informed about "President Nicolás Maduro's determination to address the territorial dispute with Guyana through direct negotiations, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement. In order to guarantee peace in the region, respecting the sovereignty of both countries and without external interference."

It is worth mentioning that in the region, Brazil has offered to mediate in a possible dialogue between Venezuela and Guyana.

For its part, the Guyanese government has shown an apparent change of position following the result of the referendum in Venezuela.

The day before, at Guyana's request, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister spoke with his Guyanese counterpart, and they agreed to keep communication channels open.

lmao

Does anyone have a brief overview of the military strength of Guyana and Venezuela as well as other South American countries like Brazil and Argentina?

Peru: Ex President Castillo Demands to Be Released Immediately

"My constitutional rights, such as the right to freedom and due process, have been violated," he said.

A few days before completing a year in prison, former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) demanded his freedom and reinstatement as the head of state during a hearing at the Constitutional Court (TC).

"My constitutional rights, such as the right to freedom and due process, have been violated by the Attorney General. Currently, it is public knowledge that she is a leader of an alleged criminal organization planned with high-ranking police officials and certain groups of congressmen to overthrow my government," Castillo said virtually from Barbadillo prison.

"I request that this entire procedure and subsequent actions be nullified. It is clear that there has been an orchestrated effort to overthrow my administration, but constitutional freedom cannot be compromised beyond political interests," he added.

Castillo argued that there was no flagrancy in his actions on Dec. 7, 2022, when he was accused of attempting a self-coup and removed by a Congress controlled by conservatives. He was arrested while heading to the Mexican Embassy in Lima.

His lawyer, Eduardo Pachas, requested the nullification of the 18-month pre-trial detention for the so-called "self-coup," immediate release of Castillo, and the "restoration of the previous state" before his arrest, allowing him to resume the presidency for the 2021-2026 term.

Pachas explained that the motivation behind five habeas corpus petitions addressed the violation of Castillo's freedom. The legal process displayed a "lack of narrative coherence" and insufficient justifications for the flagrancy offense, as the specific type was not detailed.

In addition to the 18-month pre-trial detention order under the coup accusation, the Peruvian Supreme Court has upheld the decision to impose an additional 36 months of pre-trial detention on Castillo for a corruption and influence trafficking case.

US Officials Fear Israel-Gaza Conflict Could Spark Broader War | HuffPost Latest News

One week into the resumed Israeli military campaign in Gaza, U.S. officials and foreign policy experts are increasingly afraid Israel's operation will fuel a broader conflict, drawing in Lebanon and expanding throughout the Middle East, potentially forcing American troops into the fight.

Biden administration officials at multiple government agencies have in recent days expressed concerns that Israel may be seeking American military aid for fighting in Lebanon, two U.S. officials told HuffPost. Such a step would mark a major escalation, almost certainly proving extremely deadly for civilians in both Lebanon and Israel. It could also force a confrontation with Iran, a regional heavyweight that backs the powerful Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

[...]

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006. Following Oct. 7, they have had their worst direct fighting since, with Israel conducting artillery and air strikes within Lebanon and Hezbollah targeting Israeli positions almost every day. The clashes have killed about 100 people in Lebanon, including civilians and journalists.

A tweet by the author.

US officials told me they worry Israel is taking arms to attack Lebanon & Israel won't share its plans for the weapons.

Nitter

Cuba: Suspects with ties to US-based Contras arrested. Those who have confessed also speak of recruiting for “Zero Hour.”

Cuban emergency services have apparently thwarted several terrorist attacks and other "destabilizing actions" planned at the turn of the year. As local media reported over the weekend, units of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) arrested several suspects who wanted to carry out part of the plans developed by groups in Florida. Weapons, including several pistols of various calibers and ammunition, were also seized. The arrests came a few days after the official gazette Gaceta Oficial published on Thursday a list of 19 organizations and 61 people that the Cuban authorities are investigating for "promoting, planning, financing or committing terrorist acts in Cuba and abroad." Most of those wanted are currently living undisturbed in the USA.

Benjamin Norton twit thread on Essequibo.

Lula has 'good' conversation with Maduro, but still fears situation with Guyana will 'get out of hand'

The Venezuelan called the Brazilian on Saturday morning and, according to sources, welcomed Brazil's proposal to act as a kind of mediator in the dispute over Essequibo.

The idea is to keep the channel open for the next few days - both with Venezuela and Guyana. The conversation took place around 9am.

Maduro posted a message on Twitter in which he mentioned the possibility of dialog with Guyana.

Injuries reported as Israeli military makes raids across occupied West Bank

At least 18 Palestinians were reported injured in clashes with Israeli forces who raided al-Khader town, west of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, five of the injured suffered bullet wounds and a sixth was hit in the eye with shrapnel. Two of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition

Israeli forces also carried out night raids in:

• Tulkarem – Israeli forces clashed with residents and injured at least five people, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
• Sanjar, Hebron – Verified video footage showed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces.
• Tiflit, south of Nablus.
• Rummana, west of the Jenin refugee camp.

Raids were also reported to be underway in the occupied West Bank towns of Rujib, Kafr Qaddum and al-Fawwar.

https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1732913638522896415

[Translation: Israeli occupation forces are deployed inside the neighbourhoods of the town of Rummana, west of Jenin Camp in the occupied West Bank.]

- Al Jazeera

Venezuela-Guyana, what lead up to that vote - why now? And what will be the likely result? Actual warfare?

What's the context surrounding Esequibo? "Venezuela has reactivated its claim over the 160,000 square km (61,776 square mile) territory around the Esequibo river in recent years, after the discovery of offshore oil and gas. The maritime border between the two countries is also in dispute." (Reuters) Why do they say reactivate, has this long been a region of contention?

I know nothing about this topic, so I'd love to hear from one of you if you do.

[Instagram Reel] What a "surgical strike" looks like - which "Israel" does not care to use

I was listening to the latest Chapo episode with Liz from True Anon, and noticed she pronounces Lviv as Lwow or Lvov.

I doubt there will be a war in Guyana, maybe at most some border skirmishes. Venezuela will continue to try to give the people living there aid and such in exchange for public support for their claim.

Brazil has only stated that it refuses to allow Venezuela to use its territory to enter Guyana, although I don't think there is a road from Brazil to Georgetown or maybe I am confusing this with the French-Brazilian border. Colombia doesn't seem to care about the conflict as Petro is busy lobbying the Supreme Court to accept his social reforms.

The US and China said they hope for a peaceful solution, both Maduro and the opposition support the claim so I don't know how the US will react to this tbh. Maybe the US would sanction Venezuela again but that would piss off Colombia and Brazil who have been working to get these out of Venezuela for quite some time now.

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"For Bavaria I can say: With us there will be no mandatory gendering. On the contrary: we will even prohibit gendering in schools and administration," said CSU Prime Minister Markus Söder

Lula advisor urges Venezuela to avoid force or threats against Guyana (Spanish Only)

Brazil rejects any use of force by Venezuela to occupy Guyana's Essequibo territory and will urge the Caracas government not to threaten its neighbor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's top foreign policy adviser said on Wednesday.

Celso Amorim, who traveled to Venezuela as Lula's special envoy last month, told Reuters that Brazil opposes "the use of force or its threat."

"I conveyed our very serious concerns," he said of his visit to Caracas ahead of a public referendum on the Essequibo.

"Now there are new facts that are even more worrisome. We will not stop transmitting our concerns especially in relation to the policy of non-use of force," Amorim said.

Venezuelans voted on Sunday in favor of the annexation of the Essequibo in a referendum. The Venezuelan government celebrated the vote despite an International Court of Justice ruling that prohibits Venezuela from taking any action to modify the status quo in the disputed area.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, in declarations to Reuters in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, ruled out the risk of an armed confrontation between Brazil's two neighbors on the northern border.

However, the Brazilian army has reinforced the border region due to growing tensions between Venezuela and Guyana. The Brazilian army is moving armored vehicles and more troops to Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, according to the Ministry of Defense.

It is a region of 160,000 square kilometers, more than twice the size of Ireland, mostly dense jungle. Venezuela reactivated its claim to the Essequibo in recent years following the discovery of vast offshore oil and gas reserves.

The Essequibo has been in dispute since the 19th century, when Guyana was a British colony. A Paris-based international tribunal settled the issue in 1899, but Venezuela claims the decision was rigged.