“Dangerous Incompetence.”
Those were the words from Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley about a front page newspaper article he described as “wholly irresponsible.”
Speaking at a Post Cabinet Media Briefing on Thursday afternoon, Dr. Rowley chastised the newspaper for the headline which read “US Can Put Troops In T&T… Government Signs Agreement As White House Ups Pressure On Maduro.”
He said the headline used by the daily newspaper was a total misrepresentation of the facts of the meeting held on Tuesday.
“You know what your country’s position is on countries intervention to other countries, you under this administration would have seen a position with the Venezuelan matter that it’s a matter a non-interference, non-intervention, and against that background you think that we signed a document to make our territory available for United States troops in Trinidad and Tobago to deal with Venezuelan issue? You are irresponsible and if this hurts our interests, I will hold you personally responsible for it.”
The meeting included the Prime Minister, other Government Ministers, United States Ambassador Candace Bond, and Commander of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Alvin Holsey.
At the meeting, Ambassador Bond, Admiral Holsey, and Prime Minister Rowley celebrated the successful conclusion of negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which will facilitate inter-operability between the two countries’ armed force.
“To tell the world that we have entered into an arrangement, to tell Venezuela that we have entered into an arrangement, to tell Guyana and to tell CARICOM that this picture is representative of an action that we’ve taken with the Head of SOUTHCOM, Admiral Holsey, and it’s about us creating an environment where the United States can place troops in Trinidad and Tobago to respond to instability in Venezuela, whoever did this is not acting in the interest of the people of T&T.”
Dr. Rowley also criticised the newspaper, noting that Editors should “know better.”
“This little island nation is making its territory available to the United States to threaten Venezuela? Is that what the editors think? And in the event that there’s a deterioration in Venezuela, you believe Trinidad and Tobago will be a staging post for that? It is all well and good to write foolishness that nobody reads but when you write this, that has far reaching consequences you are a danger to the national interest of T&T, and you know better because our position is wide open.”
The Prime Minister maintains that CARICOM is a zone a of peace and these types of headlines send the wrong message.
“To the extent that there is any conflict that Venezuela is preparing for, whether it is with Guyana or with the United States, or anybody for that matter, CARICOM’s position to all participants is that we are not in support of breaches of the zone of peace.”
In the meeting on Tuesday, Admiral Holsey said, “The United States is committed to providing expertise and resources to enhance Trinidad and Tobago’s security capabilities, and these Agreements deepen strategic collaboration on a host of issues.”