Sir, – The UN Charter prohibits wars of aggression, and overthrowing sovereign governments yet since 2001, the US and Nato have waged illegal wars of aggression, and overthrown the governments of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, assisted the overthrow of governments in Egypt and Ukraine, and tried to overthrow the government of Syria.
Far from bringing freedom and democracy to these countries, US intervention left all of them in chaos.
We are now witnessing the attempted overthrow of the elected government of Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves, led by the US and supported by EU members Germany, France, Spain and Britain, which have announced that they will recognise Juan Guaido as “interim president” if elections are not held within eight days, which is administratively impossible.
When Nicolás Maduro was elected president in May 2018, the main opposition Democratic Unity coalition boycotted the election, thus virtually guaranteeing that Mr Maduro would be the democratically elected president. In any state, the position of “interim president” can only exist if the incumbent either dies or is removed, neither of which has occurred in Venezuela.
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Nicolás Maduro is both chief of state and head of government, clearly indicating that Venezuela has a presidential rather that a parliamentary type of government, and that the executive vice-president is Delcy Rodriguez Gomez, who should be the obvious replacement if Mr Maduro is removed.
Since Juan Guaido was not even a candidate in the 2018 elections, his claim to be the “interim president” is spurious.
An Irish Government statement that “Ireland has consistently supported the democratically elected National Assembly of which Mr Guaido is president” ignores the fact that the system of government in Venezuela is a French-type presidential system.
The Irish Government should not be interfering in the sovereign affairs of other countries in such a manner. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD
HORGAN,
Castletroy,
Limerick.
Sir, – Now that the champions of democracy in the US , the EU and elsewhere have turned their backs on the obnoxious dictatorship in Venezuela, and rightly so, can we expect them to do likewise regarding the equally obnoxious dictatorships in, say, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?
Somehow I don’t think so. I wonder why? – Yours, etc,
HUGH PIERCE,
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – Thanks are due to the two Sinn Féin members who went to Mr Maduro’s inauguration for showing us the type of administration they admire and what they would foist on us if that party ever got into power. Heaven help us . – Yours, etc,
THOMAS REID,
Waterford.
Sir, – It is quite instructive to hear leftists in Ireland attempt to explain away the fact that three million people in Venezuela have emigrated since 2014 rather than live under the tender mercies of a socialist paradise. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN FARRELL,
Dublin 8.