Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she raised the importance of international law with her US counterpart after President Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela. However, she stopped short of saying whether the military action that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro captured and taken to New York was a breach of such laws, telling MPs it was for the US to set out the legal basis for the move.
Ms Cooper also reiterated that the UK will “shed no tears” for the end of Maduro’s rule, accusing him of using “fear, coercion and violence” to cling to power. She addressed the Commons after Maduro entered a not guilty plea in court in New York, where he and his wife have been indicted on charges of “narco-terrorism”.
Ms Cooper said she spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the weekend. “In my discussions with Secretary Rubio, I raised the importance of complying with international law, and we will continue to urge all partners to do so,” she said. “It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions, and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon.”
The Foreign Secretary added that she also spoke to Mr Rubio about the role the UK can play in supporting a peaceful democratic transition. She opened her statement with criticism of Maduro for his “authoritarian rule” and criticised his links to Russia, saying his regime facilitated “organised criminal activity and narcotics trafficking and illegal gold trading”.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, urged Ms Cooper to call out the US for a breach of international law. Ms Cooper replied that she and Dame Emily would probably agree that Maduro should not be leading a country, but added that the UK is committed to international law and had raised the issue with Mr Rubio.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier described Maduro as “illegitimate”. While he said international law had to be the “anchor” for the future of Venezuela, he declined to comment on whether the American operation breached international law, saying the situation was “complicated” and it was “for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that it’s taken”.
