Trump sets sight on Greenland, threatens Cuba, Colombia, Mexico

By Nkiruka Nnorom, with agency reports

US President Donald Trump yesterday issued stark warnings to other countries that they could be next, implying that he could take military action in Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, saying US ‘’needs Greenland.’’

His warning came on a day deposed Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism, weapon offences and cocaine importation conspiracy preferred against him by a US court.

Trump told Mexico to get its “act together” on drugs, and said the US “needs Greenland.”

“Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.

He also touched on Mexico, noting that he repeatedly offered the assistance of US troops to Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, but that “she’s a little afraid.”

He repeated comments he had made about Cuba on Saturday, noting that he was not considering military action against Cuba, and that he believed that it would fall of its own volition.

“I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action,” he said.

To the north, Trump renewed his interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, saying the US absolutely needed the Island for national security.

Earlier on Sunday, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio implied that Cuba should be worried after the fate that befall Maduro.

Meanwhile, deposed Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism, weapon offences and cocaine importation conspiracy preferred against him by a US court.

Maduro, 63, insisted that he was innocent, telling a federal judge in Manhattan that he was kidnapped from Venezuela.

“I’m innocent, I’m not guilty. I’m still the president of my country,” he was quoted as saying.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty. These came as Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s Vice President, was officially sworn in as the President of Venezuela after the deposition of her former boss by the US, even as she invites the US to collaborate with the country to work towards shared development.

Her call for collaboration comes on the heels of an initial threat by President Donald Trump, warning that she risked facing a worse fate than Maduro if she fails to do the right thing.

He warned that the US will hold her responsible for any escalation and abuse of human rights.

“She could pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro if she doesn’t do what’s right,” he said, adding: “For Venezuela, regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now.”

Our people deserve peace, dialogue, not war – Rodríguez

In a message directed at Trump shortly before her swearing in, Rodríguez called on the US to collaborate with Venezuela, saying that Venezuelans deserve peace and dialogue rather than war.

This was a departure from her defiant stance following her appointment as acting president where she insisted that Maduro remained the legitimate president of Venezuela.

In her first cabinet meeting, prior to her swearing in, she assured that her country is committed to peace and prioritized moving towards “balanced and respectful” relations with the US.

“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future,” she said.

Writing on Telegram, she said: “We consider it a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela.

“We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed toward shared development.”

Commission named to handle Maduro’s release

Rodriguez also announced a commission to seek the release of president Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Rodriguez tapped her brother Jorge, president of the National Assembly, and Foreign Minister, Yvan Gil, to co-chair the commission.

Information Minister Freddy Nanez will also be on the commission, she said in the announcement.

Power of law must prevail, UN says

The United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, speaking at the emergency meeting convened yesterday to discuss the Venezuela situation, expressed concern over the possible intensification of instability and its regional impact, and warned of the precedent it could set.

Noting decades of political, social and economic turmoil that have driven millions to flee, she said: “the situation is critical, but it is still possible to prevent a wider and more destructive conflagration.”

DiCarlo urged inclusive dialogue and respect for sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity, emphasizing that “the power of the law must prevail”.

Countries’ chosen path to devt should be respected- Xi

In a veiled message to Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasised the need for big powers to respect other countries’ chosen path to development.

“All countries should respect the development paths chosen by the peoples of other nations, and abide by international law as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with major countries taking the lead in doing so,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a post on Monday, while receiving Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in Beijing.

“In a world beset with changes and chaos, unilateral and bullying acts are severely undermining the international order”, Xi said.

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