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Bolton: Just Venezuelan 'Street Theater'
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations accused Venezuela's foreign minister of "street theater" after he was briefly detained at a New York airport in an incident that strained already tense relations.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro was detained for a short time at John F. Kennedy airport on his way home after attending the U.N. General Assembly, where President Hugo Chavez called President Bush "the devil."
Speaking on Venezuelan television, Maduro denounced the U.S. government for "violating international law," and a U.S. State Department spokesman apologized Saturday.
But U.S. envoy John Bolton made no apologies Monday when asked about the detention: "There was no incident at the airport. This was Venezuelan street theater," he told reporters.
"He did not request the courtesies we would have extended to get him through the airport," Bolton said.
Story Continues Below "He purchased his ticket at a time and in a manner and with funding such that he was asked to go to secondary screening and he objected to that, and the first thing he did was call the press and speak to them in Spanish."
"This was propaganda," Bolton said. "I'm just not going to comment on that kind of non-serious performance."
The State Department said Saturday that airport security had questioned the foreign minister and then U.S. diplomatic security was sent to the airport to resolve the issue.
The minister was told he could board the plane before it took off but he chose instead to return to New York City, the State Department added. Chavez said the detention was "provocation from Mr. Devil."
Chavez continually accuses the United States of plotting to overthrow and assassinate him, charges Washington dismisses.
(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Chavez/Venezuela Inside Cover Stories
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