Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Uruguay
Newsline: US diplomat accuses Uruguay major of assault
An Uruguayan official says a U.S. embassy official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has accused an Uruguayan army major stationed in the country with assault. The South American country has sent more than a thousand troops to Congo as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. Uruguayan Col. Mario Stevenazzi says the United Nations and the Uruguayan government are investigating the alleged assault, which he says doesn’t appear to be sexual in nature. Stevenazzi didn’t identify either the Uruguayan army major or the female U.S. embassy official involved in the alleged assault, which occurred at least two weeks ago. Uruguayan soldiers serving in another U.N. force in Haiti are also being investigated for an alleged assault involving a young Haitian man.
Newsline: Uruguay condemns Iranian diplomat’s Holocaust denial
Uruguay has condemned statements denying the Holocaust made byIran’s ambassador to the country. The country’s Foreign Ministry called in an official from the Iranian Embassy to condemn the statements. The ministry also released a statement calling the Holocaust an “undeniable historic event.” Irani Ambassador Hojatollah Soltani had said during a public meeting that “World War II began in 1939 and ended in 1945. It is said that during that war the Nazis killed 2 million, 4 million, 6 million … there are different figures on the Jews’ news. This was named a ‘Holocaust,’ and Israel is using this issue to present itself to the world as a victim, and asking for economic and political support from some countries in Europe.” During the question-and-answer portion of the program, Soltani said that “Maybe some people died, some were murdered, I don’t know, maybe thousands of Jews. But that figure of 2 million, 4 million, 6 million, that is a lie according to some European historians who have submitted documents.” Soltani also called Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians the current Holocaust. Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro told the Irani embassy official that Jewish Holocaust survivors still live in Uruguay. He also said that diplomatic and trade relations with Iran would not change over the incident, according to the WJC.
