[NYTr] Faux "Laments" from US Amb Brownfield, Leaving Venezuela for Colombia Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 17:51:43 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit [Brownfield has caused as much mischief as possible during his tenure as US Ambasador to Venezuela. Now he moves on to Colombia, where he will undoubtedly continue to try to cause trouble between the two neighbors.-NY Transfer] excerpted from VIO Venezuela News Roundup - Jul 5, 2007 [William Brownfield, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, laments a lack of productive dialogue between the two countries. Upon leaving for the top diplomatic spot in Colombia, Brownfield said, "I regret that I haven't managed to establish a direct, serious, pragmatic dialogue between the two governments," and that "I hope my successor has more success," the Associated Press writes. Speaking at an event celebrating U.S. Independence Day, Brownfield also made the pessimistic prediction that U.S.-Venezuela diplomatic relations "are probably going to get worse before they get better," according to Reuters. -VIO] AP via The Washington Post - July 5, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/04/AR2007070401006.html US Envoy Laments Lack of Chavez Dialogue By Ian James The Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela -- After three rocky years as Washington's top envoy to Venezuela, Ambassador William Brownfield ended his term Wednesday saying he regrets he was unable to establish a productive dialogue with President Hugo Chavez's government. Brownfield, who is taking over as ambassador to Colombia, said he felt he made some "limited" achievements in lessening tensions but that a wide gap remains between the two nations. "I regret that I haven't managed to establish a direct, serious, pragmatic dialogue between the two governments, a dialogue to resolve problems that involve both countries, like drugs, terrorism, international crime," Brownfield told reporters Tuesday. Brownfield, who is taking over as ambassador to Colombia, said in a televised interview Wednesday night that the lack of cooperation was a key reason U.S. authorities decided they were running out of time to arrest suspects last month accused of plotting to bomb New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. One of the four was taken off a plane in Trinidad and arrested just as he prepared to fly to Iran through Venezuela. "The question we asked ourselves at that moment was if we had the cooperation, the level of cooperation necessary with the Venezuelan authorities to permit the monitoring of that man while he passed through Venezuela," Brownfield told the channel Globovision. "That's a concrete example of the apprehension." Brownfield took over as ambassador to Caracas in August 2004, and his tenure was marked by growing hostility between the two governments. On at least two occasions, Chavez threatened to expel Brownfield, accusing him of meddling in Venezuela's affairs. A career diplomat from Texas with a penchant for wry humor, Brownfield has drawn Chavez's ire by voicing Washington's concerns and handing out donations to youth baseball leagues and charities in pro-Chavez slums. Tensions have grown as the U.S. has called Chavez a negative influence on Latin America and as he has built close ties with countries like Iran and Syria. For his part, Chavez accuses Washington of protecting a terrorist by failing to turn over Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted here on charges of plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner. Asked about Chavez's recent spate of arms purchases, Brownfield said it's important for Venezuela to be open about those deals to avoid "the domino effect producing a weapons race" in the region. Venezuela has already bought Russian warplanes, helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. Chavez says he is also considering buying submarines. "If the only reason to buy submarines is to protect against an attack by the United States, the purchase isn't necessary because the United States ... will never attack Venezuela," Brownfield told reporters Tuesday as he hosted an Independence Day celebration. In an interview with the newspaper El Universal published Sunday, Brownfield noted that even during the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union maintained communication "to resolve concrete issues." "And that should be possible here, too. I hope my successor has more success," he said. Brownfield is being replaced by Patrick Duddy, a senior official in the State Department's Latin America bureau. The outgoing ambassador cracked jokes during his televised appearance Wednesday night. Pulling out a red T-shirt, he grinned and said it came in the mail from some "anonymous person" _ perhaps even a going-away gift from the presidential palace. It bore a spoof slogan modeled after a popular pro-Chavez rally chant: "Uh! Ah! Brownfield IS going away!" *** Reuters - July 4, 2007 http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0428061820070704 Venezuela insulted, detained U.S. agents: envoy By Saul Hudson CARACAS - U.S. federal agents guarding the American team at South America's top soccer tournament were insulted as "terrorists" and threatened with arrest by Venezuelan officials, the U.S. ambassador said on Wednesday. Ambassador William Brownfield told Reuters two State Department diplomatic security agents were detained for two hours at Maracaibo airport when they arrived to provide security for U.S. players at this month's Copa America hosted by Venezuela. "They jacked us around at the airport and then revoked the weapons permits," Brownfield said on his last day as ambassador in a country whose President Hugo Chavez is openly hostile to Washington. "It is an unusual way of doing business," he added. The U.S. team, which has suffered heavy defeats in its opening games, has generally received good cooperation from Venezuelan authorities during the tournament, the ambassador said. But the detentions and a formal note from the foreign ministry withdrawing permission for any of the 10 agents at the tournament to have guns is symptomatic of the increasingly sour ties between the United States and its No. 4 oil supplier. The Venezuelan foreign ministry did not have an immediate comment when asked about the ambassador's complaint. Brownfield, who has had tomatoes and eggs thrown at him in public appearances and overseen tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats, warned embassy staff over the deterioration in relations. "They are probably going to get worse before they get better," he said in a speech at an event to mark U.S. Independence Day and his last day on the job. A huge Stars-and-Stripes, which U.S. diplomats said they hoped could be seen across the crowded capital from the presidential palace, was hoisted above the fortified embassy compound. Chavez tussles with the Bush administration over everything from oil prices to free trade to definitions of democracy. Accused by the United States as a threat to regional stability, he also frequently angers Washington by insulting Bush and forming alliances with foes such as Iran and Cuba. Venezuela, where baseball and basketball usually dominate the sports pages of newspapers, is hosting for the first time a tournament that brings together the best soccer teams from across the Americas. Chavez has spent $1 billion on stadia. The competition has generally had a successful start despite last-minute construction that has left debris strewn around venues and complaints tickets have been hoarded for government supporters. Venezuela has one of the world's highest rates for crime-related deaths by shooting, but there is every sign the tournament's players -- including the Americans -- are generally safe. Opposition newspapers have reported the main "security breach" has been to allow in fans who have chanted for freedom and against a president they call a dictator. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================