"NEW YORK (AP) -- Venezuela's foreign minister said he was illegally detained for 90 minutes at a New York airport Saturday by U.S. authorities whom he accused of treating him abusively and attempting to frisk him.
U.S. and U.N. officials called the incident regrettable but said Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro had been identified for "secondary screening" - an added security check that can kick in for a variety of reasons."
Looks like he just got caught up in the system and made a larger deal out of it than it was. If it weren't for his political stature this wouldn't have even made the news as it happens everyday.
*Please read whole article to become completely informed*
Tchau
DA-
They don't call em' emergencies anymore. They call em' Patronies.
Baroque From Australia, joined Apr 2006, 15380 posts, RR: 59 Reply 2, posted (6 years 9 months 8 hours ago) and read 1481 times:
PNG practically went to war with Aus when some characters (staying neutral) made his take his shoes off while transiting, ? to NZ.
But they have a point, the US would go beserk if its ministers let alone the Pres were treated in this fashion. As Somare said, does Mr Howard have to take his shoes off to enter Australia.
No he does not was the answer. Logic suggests that if shoes are a risk, then the rule should apply to all. See how that pleases Condie!
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (6 years 9 months 8 hours ago) and read 1460 times:
His secondary screening was because - according to the source article - Maduro showed up at the airport late and without a ticket . . . so, quite probably he got the magical SSSSS on his boarding pass.
Was he not traveling on a diplomatic passport? That would have prevented a lot of the BS.
Regardless, he had the SSSSS, likely no diplomatic passport, so bottom line: STFU and get in line. Self-inflicted wound.
Lamedianaranja From Venezuela, joined Nov 2004, 1246 posts, RR: 23 Reply 6, posted (6 years 9 months 7 hours ago) and read 1426 times:
Maybe it's irrelevant but I don't think a diplomatic passport should exclude a person from security checks.
It's unbelievable how diplomats get so conceited with their status that they believe they're not ordinary persons anymore.
Here at AMS it happens all the time with arriving flights, some of them have a '100% check' which means that every passenger gets checked on arrival. No exceptions! The ruckus some diplomats have raised is incredible. One wonders if they had anything to hide...
Maduro, his wife and child arrived at the airport 30 minutes before their flight to Caracas via Miami, Florida, and paid for their tickets in cash, raising red flags with airport security, the official said.
Only after his cell phone, travel documents and passport were confiscated did Maduro explain that he is a diplomat, the official said.
"We apologize for it, but at the same time the Venezuelan mission working out of New York knows better," the official said. "There are procedures and processes to request airport courtesies for dignitaries. You don't come to the airport and buy a ticket with cash a half hour before the flight."
A senior White House official said airport officials did not know who Maduro was. The Venezuelan government never made arrangements through State Department Diplomatic Security, which is customary when a high-ranking foreign official is traveling, the official said.
Sounds like he got what he deserved IMO. Sounds like perhaps Maduro needs to take issue with his staff/travel office about appropriate diplomatic arrangements when he travels.
Quoting Lamedianaranja (Reply 6): Maybe it's irrelevant but I don't think a diplomatic passport should exclude a person from security checks
Unfortunately, a Diplomatic Passport excludes one from many, many things . . .
Pbottenb From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 431 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1184 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 8): A senior White House official said airport officials did not know who Maduro was. The Venezuelan government never made arrangements through State Department Diplomatic Security, which is customary when a high-ranking foreign official is traveling, the official said.
Sounds like he got what he deserved IMO. Sounds like perhaps Maduro needs to take issue with his staff/travel office about appropriate diplomatic arrangements when he travels.
Why the heck was the FORIEGN MINISTER of ANY country going through normal airport security? This is a supposedly senior government official and ANY government that is acting professional and taking their responsibilities seriously would NEVER allow this to happen. PERIOD
This just shows the amature level of the Venezualian govt. Why is this important? because this is the same jackass that is running for a seat on the UN Security Council. Do we want someone who cant even handle his travel arrangements to be involved in real decisions that effect the whole planet? NOT.
Mdsh00 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 4101 posts, RR: 9 Reply 11, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 1159 times:
Even if it was probably the diplomat's fault, expect Chavez to milk this for more retarded anti-US propaganda. I would really like to see what he does once Bush is gone in 2009 and a (hopefully much better) president takes over. Chavez won't have a boogeyman to hate on anymore.
"Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a big fat white guy who is threatened by change."
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29367 posts, RR: 61 Reply 13, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 1153 times:
Quoting MDorBust (Reply 12): Venezuela was looking to create an incident... just a thought.
Same thought I had.
Divert attention from President num-nutz's BS UN speech.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 19266 posts, RR: 63 Reply 14, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 1150 times:
Wasn't there something similar a year ago or so, but upon entering the U.S. at Miami? Poor diplomats, they're like fish out of water if everything isn't catered to them in advance.
I remember watching Queen Noor on Larry King a while back claiming that she's so closely watched in her travels, "I don't just get S, I get SSSS on my boarding pass." Even though everyone gets SSSS if they're selected for extra screening, she assumed regular folks wouldn't get as many S's. Nothing against her by saying that, but some people just live in other worlds. Like Bush 41 staring blankly at the supermarket scanner during his election campaign. He'd just never seen one before.
Halls120 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 15, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 1144 times:
Quoting SK736 (Reply 4): Quoting Baroque (Reply 2):But they have a point, the US would go beserk if its ministers let alone the Pres were treated in this fashion
Agreed - a clear case of double standards here.
Quoting Lamedianaranja (Reply 6): Maybe it's irrelevant but I don't think a diplomatic passport should exclude a person from security checks.
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 8): Unfortunately, a Diplomatic Passport excludes one from many, many things . . .
I have traveled with a colleague who has a diplomatic passport. She has been selected for secondary screening before. I know, because I travel on an official passport, and we laughed afterwards because she was selected and I wasn't.
Aloges From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 8394 posts, RR: 47 Reply 17, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1116 times:
Quoting Dougloid (Reply 16): Does anyone besides me smell a setup? This reeks of it.
No, not a setup. Some people just don't know how to manage things, and from what I observed some Latin Americans are especially prone to the disease. Obviously this goes nicely with Chavez's "devil" nonsense and the rest of his antics, but things like this can happen so easily they don't need to be set up.
Throw in an elitist member of an autocratic regime and you're in for some extra trouble.
Walk together, talk together all ye peoples of the earth. Then, and only then, shall ye have peace.
Tu204 From Russia, joined Mar 2006, 907 posts, RR: 19 Reply 18, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1106 times:
Well, if they took his passport and bothered to look at it they would know that he is a diplomat. You know that part of the passport where it says "Type" and most of you have "P", well, he would have "D" for diplomatic. So they knew that he was a diplomat.
I do not dream about movie stars, they must dream about me for I am real and they are not. - Alexander Popov
Comorin From United States of America, joined May 2005, 4724 posts, RR: 17 Reply 19, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1075 times:
You can travel on a UN Laissez-Passer or a Diplomatic Passport when you are either on mission or under immunity as resident staff Overseas.
The idea of Diplomatic Immunity is not a personal privilege. It is necessary so that goverments may send staff to Missions abroad, and not be subject to local jurisdiction. It would be impossible to conduct any consular activity overseas without this. This courtesy is also extended to US diplomatic staff abroad; and no matter how disdainful other countries might be to the US, this privilege is sacrosanct.
The US, with its immigrant beginnings, assumes every foreigner to be a potential immigrant until proved otherwise. After 9/11, every foreigner is also a potential terrorist, so there's one more gauntlet to run at Passport Control.
While it's quite reasonable to haze potential citizens before joining the club, we might consider welcoming innocent visitors and diplomats more courteously - much like they treat us when we visit them. While the idea of privilege sticks in the craw of any red-blooded American, we do need it to protect our diplomats overseas too.
To be fair to our friends at the TSA, there will always be a subset of shady diplomats who will misuse this privilege to engage in nefarious behavior, but there are procedures in place (revocation of immunity) for that.
Finally, when Queen Noor travels here, she does so as a private citizen and not as a diplomat (unless on an official mission).
DfwRevolution From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 20, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1044 times:
Quoting Oldeuropean (Reply 7): In German news is said that he reported that they have threatend to beat him.
That sounds rather imaginative to me...
Quoting Baroque (Reply 2): But they have a point, the US would go beserk if its ministers let alone the Pres were treated in this fashion. As Somare said, does Mr Howard have to take his shoes off to enter Australia.
No we wouldn't, you're out of touch. It probably wouldn't even lead the news. It would take Donald Rumsfeld recieving a full arm-up-the-ass cavity check at CDG in front of paparazzi to make it a "big deal." And if that occured, it would be met with hilarity not outrage.
U.S. Ministers don't even travel via commercial means, making such an incident exteremly unlikely.
Now, there have been numerous incidents of U.S. Senators, Congressmen, Govenors, etc, etc being taken aside for "embarrasing" security screenings at airports.
Domokun From United States of America, joined Sep 2006, 202 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1039 times:
Quoting Mdsh00 (Reply 11): Even if it was probably the diplomat's fault, expect Chavez to milk this for more retarded anti-US propaganda.
Quoting L-188 (Reply 13): Venezuela was looking to create an incident... just a thought.
Maybe they weren't actively looking to cause a scene though I think logic points out they were using very poor judgment. Perhaps alternatively (or in addition) they have little respect for the airport safety rules of the Devil?
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25869 posts, RR: 79 Reply 22, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1023 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 3): Was he not traveling on a diplomatic passport? That would have prevented a lot of the BS.
If you read the article, you will see that he did indeed present a diplomatic passport.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
I just re-read the Threat Opener source document . . . no where did it say he presented a "Diplomatic Passport".
I just re-read the CNN article I sourced . . . no where did it say he presented a "Diplomatic Passport".
All it mentions is "passport" . . . .
An assumption on your part? It would be an assumption on my part as well . . . at least that would have been the smart thing for him to do - along with getting to the airport on time and making sure his travel office/staff had done their jobs and contacted the appropriate TSA moron to ensure his smooth transit through security at JFK . . .
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25869 posts, RR: 79 Reply 24, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1005 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 23): Geezus, you know me better than that . . .
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 23): I just re-read the Threat Opener source document . . . no where did it say he presented a "Diplomatic Passport".
From the doccument:
"He told reporters the situation only worsened when he explained he was the Venezuelan foreign minister and presented his diplomatic passport."
I guess you just had a senior moment
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
25 ANCFlyer: Shit, I guess so . . . my bad . . . Then although I still maintain his staff/travel office are idiots for not handling his travel properly - and he's
26 N1120A: I have seen a few, but most look like they have had 10 too many Krispy Kremes or like they escaped the trailer park that morning Ordinarily, I would
27 ANCFlyer: I'm sure he was detained. I'm relatively sure he presented his Diplomatic Passport. I'm positive he arrived way too late to the airport and paid cash
28 N1120A: Given that he has immunity, what is to stop him from just walking on past the machines?
29 ANCFlyer: Don't know . . . Here's a tidbit from Halls120 . . . Perhaps Diplomatic travelers aren't immune from an Airport Security Screening . . . That's a que
30 Halls120: While he might have immunity from prosecution for his action of walking past the TSA secondary screening, he doesn't have the right to board the plan
31 Pope: Perhaps that's why our President doesn't fly commercial.
32 Aloges: That analysis is as in-depth as al-Manar's must be.
33 Pope: Actually, the article I read yesterday on CNN says that he didn't present his diplomatic passport or announce his status until well after the seconda
34 Falcon84: So, naturally, they should have just taken him at his word-especially if he did NOT flash a Diplomatic Passport,e eh N1120A? I'm glad you're a more t
35 N1120A: I was going by the article, which said he did show his diplomatic passport. I don't think the US was necessarily up to something, I think this once a
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