Venezuela Refuses Entry To U.S. Congressional Delegation

The Associated Press reports that a U.S. congressional delegation to Venezuela was not permitted to leave the plane at the country's main airport and left.

The delegation on the plane intended to meet with Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel and other government officials.

Hyde's office issued this press release:

A high-level delegation headed by International Relations Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde and Ranking Democratic Member Tom Lantos was refused entry into Venezuela by government officials after the delegation had been held onboard their aircraft and harassed by customs officials for two hours at Caracas' Simon Bolivar International Airport.

The delegation's itinerary, composition and scheduled meetings had been shared with Venezuelan officials several weeks prior to the delegation's arrival from Washington, including a meeting with President Hugo Chavez.

The delegation departed Venezuela after government officials refused to guarantee that the delegation would be allowed to disembark and carry out its planned schedule.

The bipartisan delegation comprised of Chairman Hyde, Ranking Democratic Member Lantos, Representatives Watt, Faleomavaega, Watson, and Fortuno. The delegation members expressed their profound disappointment in the Venezuelan Government's capricious and unexplained decision and actions given that the purpose of the mission was to seek ways to reduce strains in the increasingly troubled relationship between the United States and Venezuela.

According to the Associated Press, Jose Cabello, president of the airport, denied that Venezuelan authorities turned back the U.S. delegation:

"They didn't contact Venezuelan authorities" at the airport, Cabello told the state-run TV channel.

[. . .]

"We understand they went to Aruba. There was no problem," he said.

I'm sure we will be hearing more about this.

Comments

[Mild Mannered Reporter]

It seems that Venezuela has decided that a US delegation needed to be harasssed at an airport in this host country. This is too bad. I hope we cut off their foreign aid and stop buying their oil. Gosh, Bakersfield has more oil than Venezuela. Maybe we should just develop our oil fields in Bakersfield and let Venezuela drink their own oil.