Tonight, Latin America and the Caribbean are on edge after the US military swept into Venezuela early on Saturday morning and kidnapped president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Tonight, Maduro is in a New York City jail after appearing in a Manhattan courtroom this morning where he and his wife pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism, drug-trafficking and weapons charges.
Though some military action against Venezuela was anticipated, the move to abduct and extract a sovereign leader has left this hemisphere shocked. But, fearing reprisals from the US - most countries have been cautious in their reaction.
And, Belize is one of them. A muted statement today refers to, quote "military operations...carried out in Venezuela resulting in the removal of the President."
It goes on to say, "We call on all parties to exercise restraint, to respect international law, and to engage in a constructive dialogue to resolve the crisis in Venezuela within the framework of international law.
Belize and Venezuela have historically shared friendly and cooperative bilateral relations and, as such, we would like to see a return to constitutional order as soon as possible. Respect for the Venezuelan constitution and the will of the people of Venezuela should guide future actions." End quote.
Perhaps most importantly, the statement adds, "all Belizean students studying in Venezuela are currently safe in Belize." We understand that those students were home for the holidays and advised to remain here until there was more certainty about the situation in Venezuela.
