UN: US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton has dismissed as propaganda and street theatre weekend claims by Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolas Maduro that he was detained and mistreated by security staff in JFK International Airport in New York on his way home from the general assembly. However, the incident was condemned as a "coarse provocation" by Cuban president Fidel Castro.
"There was no incident at the airport, this was Venezuelan street theatre," the ambassador told journalists yesterday. "He did not request the courtesy we would have extended to getting through the airport," Mr Bolton added. "This is propaganda."
Different sources report that the Venezuelan diplomat arrived at JFK less than an hour prior to take-off and bought a one-way ticket with cash. Ambassador Bolton presented a similar version of events: "He purchased his ticket at a time and in a manner and with funding such that he was asked to go through secondary screening, and the first thing he did is call the press and speak to them in Spanish."
Mr Bolton's dismissive comments were made despite the fact the US state department, in a rare gesture, had already apologised for the alleged incident. However, both the Venezuelan minister and his government rejected the apology and called for a UN inquiry into what Mr Maduro said was a "flagrant violation of international law" as well as diplomatic immunity.
Mr Maduro, who had been accompanying Venezuela's President Chavez at the general assembly, alleged he was abused by security staff at JFK after identifying himself as Venezuela's foreign minister. He claimed he was threatened and his passport taken from him, in an act of vengeance by US authorities over speeches in New York last week by President Chavez, who described President George Bush as "the devil" and "an alcoholic".
The minister said he was detained in a room for an hour and 40 minutes before being handed over to his country's UN ambassador. He was finally offered a chance to board the flight to Caracas but refused and went back to New York city.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in a statement issued on Sunday, condemned the incident as a "coarse provocation". He said the detention of Mr Maduro was "an unacceptable violation" of the Vienna Convention and US obligations as the location of the UN headquarters. The US department of homeland security has denied mistreatment of Mr Maduro.
Mr Bolton's robust approach was in contrast with that of US ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield, who told a TV network in Caracas: "This bilateral relation is so important for the two countries . . . We lament this incident. It's our fault."
Venezuela is the fifth-largest oil exporter and a major supplier to the US. President Chavez has accused the US of trying to overthrow him, while Washington accuses him of being a danger to stability in the region.