Diplomatic Briefing
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Newsline: U.S. Embassy tweet of supposed tsunami causes alarm in El Salvador
A tweet that warned of a potential tsunami on the Pacific coast caused alarm Monday in El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele first asked the population on the coast to “mobilize” to protect themselves, before clarifying there was no impending emergency. (https://ticotimes.net/2019/11/11/u-s-embassy-tweet-of-supposed-tsunami-causes-alarm-in-el-salvador-central-america) The confusion began with a message on Twitter from the US embassy in El Salvador. The tweet warned of a “possible tsunami,” and Bukele followed with a message calling for precautions — although later the president also said the threat had been ruled out. “A plane from the US Department of Defense detected a possible tsunami approximately 600 miles from the border between El Salvador and Nicaragua,” the US embassy in San Salvador warned. Subsequently, the Ministry of Environment clarified in its Twitter account that “for the moment we have not detected any abnormal activity” in its monitoring center. President Bukele then assured that “thank God there is no threat of a tsunami for El Salvador” after the alarm generated in social networks. The US embassy said it chose to publish the information of the possible tsunami “as a precaution (…) given the speed with which they move.”
Newsline: El Salvador orders expulsion of Venezuelan diplomats
El Salvador has ordered the expulsion of Venezuelan government diplomats, joining the U.S. and more than 50 other countries that have said opposition leader Juan Guaidó is Venezuela’s rightful president. The Salvadoran government said late Saturday in a statement that the diplomats, who are loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, had 48 hours to leave the country. It said the decision is in line with comments by President Nayib Bukele “not recognizing Maduro’s government as legitimate.” (https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/el-salvador-orders-expulsion-venezuelan-diplomats-66723472) Venezuela responded in kind Sunday, ordering Salvadoran diplomats to leave Caracas within two days. Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador in El Salvador, welcomed the decision to expel pro-Maduro diplomats. El Salvador’s opposition FMLN party criticized the government’s move, accused “foreign interests of being behind it and expressed solidarity with Venezuela and “its legitimate President Nicolás Maduro.”
Newsline: Body found in Trinidad and Tobago may be El Salvador embassy worker’s
The body of a man was found in bushes on Warren Road, Cunupia in a Toyota Fortuner SUV. While police have not confirmed an identity as yet, they believe the dead man could be Jose Tito Rivas, an El Salvador Embassy driver. Cunupia police got a report yesterday, at around 9 am, about a car found on the road near some bushes. When they checked, they found the body wrapped in a sheet in the car. The car, which had the registration number PCM 321, is said to be registered to the El Salvador Embassy, where Rivas worked. Rivas was also reported missing, and was last seen in St James according to police. Calls to the embassy went to voice mail.
Newsline: El Salvador, last country with embassy in Jerusalem, will not move again
El Salvador, the last nation to have an open embassy in Jerusalem ending, announced it will not move back to the capital. “We will not move our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem out of respect for the peace process in the Middle East and particularly Israel and Palestine,” Salvadoran Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugo Martinez said during an interview with a local TV channel, reported the Spanish-language Jewish news service Aurora. “Each country makes its own decision regarding foreign policy and El Salvador does not judge the determination of other countries, so we hope that the Salvadoran government will not be judged either,” he added. In 2006, El Salvador was the last country to move its embassy from Jerusalem in a bid to please Arab nations. One week before, Costa Rica also announced it would pull its diplomatic mission out of capital. Therefore, at least for a few days, El Salvador remained the only country in the world with an embassy in Jerusalem.
El Salvador, last nation to shut down its Jerusalem embassy, will not move back
Newsline: U.S. ambassador to El Salvador confirmed
The Senate confirmed Mari Carmen Aponte as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador in a simple voice vote that hid the intense two-year controversy over her nomination. The diplomatic dispute involved Cuban spies, gay rights, partisan anger, ethnic politics and a potential Republican vice-presidential candidate who switched votes to endorse her. Sen. Marco Rubio helped secure nine Republican colleagues in favor of Miss Aponte when the Senate voted 62-37 Thursday to cut off debate on her nomination. That was two more votes than the Democrats needed to prevent a Republican filibuster. The Senate then approved her on a voice vote. Miss Aponte is a Puerto Rican-born D.C. lawyer and Democratic Party activist. Miss Aponte has been a controversial nominee since President Bill Clinton first tried to name her as an ambassador in 1998. Immediately stories emerged about her romantic relations with a Cuban-American businessman who had close ties to Cuban diplomats in Washington. The FBI cleared her of any links to spying for the Cubans, but she withdrew her nomination as ambassador to the Dominican Republic before senators had a chance question her in a confirmation hearing. Mr.. Obama ran into the same suspicions in 2009 when he first nominated her to serve as ambassador to El Salvador. Faced with possible Senate rejection, Mr.. Obama appointed her ambassador for a temporary term during a congressional recess the next year. However, Miss Aponte compounded the dispute about her qualifications by promoting gay rights in an article for an El Salvador newspaper that ran in June 2011 after Mr.. Obama declared “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/17/embassy-row-confirmation-confrontation/
Newsline: Central America urged to share embassies
El Salvador’s foreign minister says Central American nations should share some embassies to reduce costs. He suggests they share embassy offices in India, Russia, Australia and Scandinavia. Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez says the purpose is to cut the cost of posting diplomats and allow them to have representation in more nations. Martinez said that he pitched the idea to other Central American foreign ministers during this week’s meeting of the Organization of American States in El Salvador.
Newsline El Salvador diplomat asks Sheen for apology
The El Salvadoran consul general in in Los Angeles has asked Charlie Sheen to apologize for what he says were disrespectful comments about the Central American nation. Walter Duran made the remarks at a news conference held in response to Sheen, who said earlier this week that he’d rather move to El Salvador and sell shoes than battle his estranged wife in court for custody of their twin sons. Duran also asked Sheen to consider opening a shoe factory, saying it is an opportune time since El Salvador recently began giving away shoes to needy students. Sheen’s 23-month-old sons with estranged wife Brooke Mueller were removed from his home last week.
Newsline: Mexican diplomat’s wife shot dead
The wife of a Mexican diplomat working with the nation’s embassy in El Salvador was shot dead here in an attack that left her husband wounded. Guillermo and Claudia Medina were driving down a busy street here when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on their car, media reports said. Witnesses said they heard four-to-six shots. Police said they had no information on the motive for the attack. Guillermo Medina, who holds the rank of first secretary at the Mexican Embassy here, was wounded in February during an attempted robbery.
http://sify.com/news/mexican-diplomat-s-wife-shot-dead-news-international-keyiEddhfba.html
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