Former St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said he wished CARICOM leaders had been stronger in their comments on United States military action in Venezuela on January 3, which resulted in the removal of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from the country.
Speaking at a press conference on January 5, Gonsalves, now the country’s opposition leader, said the CARICOM statement “did not make a judgement of the action of the United States of America” and instead reaffirmed shared regional principles without concluding that the act constituted a breach of international law.
“I would have wished if that assessment had been made,” he said, adding that while he remains firm on the issue, he is also measured because of the need to find a solution.
Gonsalves said CARICOM countries must be mindful that there are “bigger players” involved in the situation who wield greater power in the international system, even though Caribbean states are directly affected.
“We therefore need always to be firm on the principles, make our judgments where they’re required to be made, with clarity, without, in any manner, seeking to contribute to any further divisiveness in CARICOM on this matter,” he said.
He noted that the CARICOM statement did not address the criminal charges against Venezuela’s president, which he described as allegations that must be proven in a court of law.
“These charges have to be proven in a court of law,” Gonsalves said, cautioning against conflating military or political operations with law enforcement.
“One of the things we have to be quite clear is that we must not conflate a military intervention or a political operation with law enforcement,” he said, questioning whether the actions taken could properly be described as law enforcement.
Gonsalves pointed to long-standing extradition treaties, noting that civilised countries have relied on judicial processes for more than a century.
“You will have to go through a judicial process,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the venue of any possible trial, referencing public statements by US President Donald Trump regarding the fairness of proceedings in New York.
Gonsalves said it is now up to the United States to prove that Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, committed the crimes they are accused of, noting that history offers many examples of leaders being abducted or kidnapped and later subjected to charges in foreign countries that were eventually discredited.
“You have to educate our people in this complicated situation, so that we can make wise and mature judgments,” he said.
He warned that what has occurred in Venezuela represents “an undermining of the multilateral system, and an enthronement of unilateralism,” and said the US president has been explicit about his administration’s approach to the hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine as a basis for asserting strategic dominance in the region.
Gonsalves also condemned what he described as “dangerous rhetoric” from US politicians regarding countries in the region that maintain relations with states viewed as adversaries of American interests.
He called on CARICOM leaders to be clear in their statements, warning that ambiguity could undermine the bloc’s credibility on future regional and international matters.
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