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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Problemas en Paraiso

Because the most important thing is the Ukraine, here are a couple of links for y'all: 


CNN Updates: Russia-Ukraine News

 

AP:  Live Updates|Russia-Ukraine War

 

Washington Post 

 

The Guardian 

 

So many good ones, sorry I know I've left out many.

 

 

 ~ Here it is from The Hill: Problems in Paradise !

 

 Texas Rep Calls For Revoking Visas of Pro-Russia Mexican Politicians 

 

 by Rafael Bernal - 04/04/22 7:04 PM ET

 

 " Texas Democratic Rep. Vicente González on Monday called on the Biden administration to revoke the visas of Mexican politicians who formed the “Mexico-Russia Friendship Committee” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“In recent days and in the midst of an international crisis in Eastern Europe, several legislators from Mexico’s Federal Congress (Chamber of Deputies) took this opportunity to shun the free world and stand with Putin by forming a Mexico-Russia Friendship Committee,” González wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

“The timing of this committee sent a clear message to the United States and the free world,” wrote González.

A group of Mexican lawmakers, led by Workers’ Party (PT) head Alberto Anaya, planned the Friendship Committee announcement in early March, shortly after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The official announcement came later in the month, in a televised meeting between Russian Ambassador Víktor Koronelli and 25 members and former members of the country’s Congress, led by Anaya.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar criticized the meeting, alluding to Mexico joining the Allies in the fight against Nazi Germany in World War II for historical context.

Local opposition figures also panned the group for its explicit support of the Russian regime, but Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declined to criticize the lawmakers.

“While Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador continues to publicly maintain a neutral posture in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, actions taken by members of his own MORENA party and others suggest otherwise,” wrote González.

Anaya and many of the lawmakers and politicians present at the meeting are members of the PT, which operates as a satellite party of López Obrador’s Morena party, at times exchanging legislators from one party to another to fill legislative vacancies.

While Morena is in some ways a broader coalition party, the PT has traditionally taken hard-left public positions while operating close to larger power structures.

In 2021, Anaya raised eyebrows by declaring that North Korea “is more of a friend” to Mexico than the United States, while defending North Korean policies that “generate development.”

López Obrador has not publicly come out in favor of the more extreme views in his coalition, but he has done little to tamp down those expressions, and Mexico remains officially neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“It’s disgraceful enough that Mexico — our closest neighbor to the South — has chosen to not stand in unity with the international community of democracies. They have instead refused to send any aid to Ukraine or impose sanctions on Russia,” wrote González.

González also called on Blinken and Mayorkas to “stand with Ukraine and condemn this ‘friendship committee’ by issuing visa revocations for all Mexican members of Congress that have participated in this deplorable assembly.”

The United States has at times used visa revocations as a strong individual sanction that’s particularly effective in Latin America.

González, a Texas border lawmaker with strong ties to Mexico, has taken a personal involvement in bilateral affairs, including as a member of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In his letter, González listed by name the 25 Mexican officials and former officials who took place in the meeting with Koronelli.

“If these individuals refuse to condemn Russia, and instead choose to stand with tyranny, they should not be allowed the privilege of entering, traveling or investing in the United States of America,” wrote González.

“I urge you to take action to ensure that no foreign government officials that support Russia during this aggressive and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine are allowed the privileges of entry into our country,” he added."

~~~~~

 

 Seems a bit drastic and I do not think this is going to fly. Putin is not going to win this war, he is going to go down. If people want to go down with him, let them. So true...birds of a feather flock together !

 

~~~~~ 

 

Reported earlier today:

 

 ~ From Zeta:

Legislador de EU Pide Revocar Visas a 25 Diputados Mexicanos que Apoyan a Rusia 

Destacados -   - martes, 5 abril, 2022 5:55 PM

 

"Democratic legislator Vicente González, a member of the United States House of Representatives, requested, on April 5, the revocation of the visas of the 25 Mexican deputies who installed the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies of the House of Representatives. Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Víktor Koronelli.

Through a letter addressed to the Secretaries of State, Antony Blinken, and of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Democratic legislator of Mexican origin condemned the "blatant support" that Mexican deputies have given to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It is quite shameful that Mexico, our closest neighbor to the south, has chosen not to be in unity with the international community of democracies,” lamented González, who also criticized the Mexican government for refusing to send aid to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

Regarding the Mexican deputies, the Democratic legislator from Texas said that if they choose to support the tyranny of Russia, "they should not be allowed the privilege of entering, traveling or investing in the United States."

"I urge you to take steps to ensure that no foreign government officials who support Russia during this aggressive and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have entry privileges into our country," the Democratic lawmaker asked Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas.

González insisted that by revoking Mexican lawmakers' visas, the US government would send a clear message to those who have chosen to support the uncivilized and criminal behavior of the Russian regime.

The Texan legislator also pointed out that despite the fact that the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, publicly maintains a neutral position in the face of the conflict, the actions of members of his Morena party show the opposite.

Among the politicians who are on the list presented by the Democratic representative are: Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez -current national president of the Labor Party (PT)-, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, Augusto Gómez Villanueva, Armando Contreras Castillo, Margarita García García, Nelly Maceda Carrera, Pedro Daniel Abasolo Sánchez, Armando Reyes Ledezma, Alfredo Porras Domínguez, Miriam Citlalli Pérez Macintosh and Clementina Marta Decker Gómez.

Also on the list are: María Rosalía Jiménez Pérez, Eraclio Rodríguez Gómez, Manuel Huerta Martínez, Raúl Ernest Sánchez Zavala, Oscar González Yáñez, Francisco Javier Huacas Esquivel, Reginaldo Sandoval Flores, Santiago González Soto, Ángel Benjamín Robles Montoya, José Luis García Duque , Maribel Martínez Ruiz, José Mario Osuna Medina, Jesús Fernando García Hernández, Ana Laura Bernal Camarena.

UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE US TO TRY TO INFLUENCE RELATIONS WITH MEXICO, SAYS RUSSIA

"We consider that it is unacceptable when the United States tries to influence the activity and decisions of the Government of Mexico," the Russian Embassy said on March 25 through its account on the social network Twitter.

The Russian embassy rejected Salazar's statement to the effect that Mexico has no friendship with any other nation like the one it has with the United States.

“Do you take into account the annexation by the United States, Mexico's 'best friend', of half of its national territory in the 19th century?”, added the Russian Embassy.

The Russian diplomatic representation added that the purpose of US propaganda is to isolate Russia and diplomats from that country from around the world, through false news, as was the case with the number of spies from that country in Mexico.

“In this context, we would like to address Mr. Salazar asking him in the most friendly way the following question: Who are the more than a thousand US diplomats who work at the US Embassy in Mexico?” they asserted.

“A SHAME”, SAYS THE UKRAINIAN EMBASSY OF THE MEXICO-RUSSIA FRIENDSHIP GROUP IN SAN LÁZARO

Oksana Dramaretska, head of the Embassy of Ukraine in Mexico, criticized the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Viktor Koronelli.

The Ukrainian diplomatic representative considered that this act was a shame, since she reiterated that the Russian forces are invading her territory and it was not possible that the Mexican Legislative Power was fraternizing with them.

“Supporting the murderers is actually participating in their crimes… They are not interested in these legislators joining [Vladimir] Putin. He is a criminal, he is a person who seems crazy, ”said the Ukrainian ambassador to Mexico, quoted by the Milenio newspaper.

EU AMBASSADOR REPROACHES FRIENDSHIP GROUP OF RUSSIA AND MEXICO IN SAN LAZARO

Keneth Lee Salazar, head of the United States Embassy in Mexico, criticized, on March 24, the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Víktor Koronelli .

During the installation of the United States-Mexico Friendship Group in the Lower House, the US diplomat pointed out that his Russian counterpart made "noise" about an alleged relationship between Mexico and Russia.

Likewise, Salazar reminded the Mexican federal deputies that Mexico and the United States united "for freedom" in World War II against the intentions of Adolf Hitler and the Axis Forces.

"We have to be in solidarity with Ukraine and against Russia. It seems to me that the Russian ambassador was here yesterday making a noise that Mexico and Russia were so close, and that, sorry, can never happen, can never happen," he declared. the American ambassador.

“We can no longer say that this is happening on the other side of the world because it can affect us here in Mexico. What [Vladímir] Putin and the Russians are doing is something that I thought I would never see,” Salazar stressed.

“What Russia did by attacking Ukraine is an attack on the freedom and way of life of all of us. When the family is attacked, if someone threatens it, the whole family joins. Here we are talking about a Friendship Group between Mexico and the United States, there can be no differences, we have to do the same”, emphasized the American diplomat.

On March 23, despite the rejection of the deputies of the parliamentary groups of the National Action Party (PAN) and the Citizen Movement (MC), the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group was installed in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union.

Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez, deputy of the Labor Party (PT) parliamentary group and who presided over the installation of the Group, reiterated that the Government of Mexico determined not to issue any sanctions against Russia and welcomed their relations.

"Due to this conflict between Ukraine and Russia, we are going to be in a situation of peace and neutrality, relations are welcome," said the deputy before Viktor Koronelli, head of the Russian Embassy in Mexico.

"Our votes are for this conflict to have a diplomatic solution, a peaceful solution, where the parties agree to end this conflict so that this region of the world finds peace again and this conflict does not escalate," insisted Anaya Gutiérrez.

In the installation of the Group, the Russian ambassador in Mexico, Víktor Koronelli, maintained that Russia did not start "this war", referring to his country's invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.

The Russian diplomat described the war as an operation to demilitarize Ukraine, and thus put an end to the "extermination" of the Russian community in Donbas by the Ukrainian Army, which, according to him, has lasted 8 years.

On the other hand, Koronelli recognized the position of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), of not joining the sanctions against Russia and rejecting Ukraine's request to send weapons.

“We greatly respect the position demonstrated, already several times, by the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador; by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, that Mexico will never join the anti-Russian sanctions and that it will never, despite the requests of the Government of Ukraine, ever supply Ukraine with weapons, ”he said.

"I want to assure you that I have no doubt that what is happening these days is not going to affect Russia's relations with Mexico in any way, which continues to be one of our oldest and most important partners in the Latin American region," the Russian ambassador said.

“In 2021 alone, despite COVID and all restrictions, our trade more than doubled compared to 2020, reaching a record $4.8 billion,” added Koronelli.

The diplomat quoted the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who a few days ago said that: "Today in the world there are countries like China, India, Mexico that will never answer and do anything at the order of Uncle Sam."

Separately, the MC parliamentary group demonstrated for the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group, with signs that said "No to war." While the PAN caucus demanded a ceasefire and a solution to the conflict based on International Humanitarian Law.

“For no reason do we agree with being part of the recklessness and lack of sensitivity of the situation that Ukraine is going through with the invasion of Russian troops in its territory, which has resulted in 2,421 civilian victims and more than 6.5 million displaced people”, stated the PAN parliamentary group.

 

~~~~~ 


AMLO's Response:

 

 ~ From Zeta:

 "Es Regresar a la Guerra Fria", Dice AMLO de Quita Visas a Diputados Pro Rusos 

 

Destacados miércoles, 6 abril, 2022 8:42 AM

 

"President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reproached, on April 6, the proposal of Democratic legislator Vicente González, a member of the United States House of Representatives, who requested the revocation of the visas of the 25 Mexican deputies who installed the Mexico-Mexico Friendship Group. Russia in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Víktor Koronelli.

"I also take this opportunity to say that I don't see things well, I don't think it's fair and I don't think it's rational to want to suspend the visas of those who met to express their views regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine," said the national president. .

As some legislators expressed, there is already a campaign to request that they not be allowed to enter the United States. I find it in bad taste and very prehistoric, very backward. That is going back to the Cold War, to the times of persecution and exclusion and authoritarianism. I do not agree with that, well, I did not agree when President Donald Trump was removed from his Twitter account, ”said the Tabasco politician.

"Because that goes against freedom, how are we going to be talking about freedom, how is the Statue of Liberty going to look in New York, it is going to turn green with courage," said the head of the Federal Executive Branch.

“How are we going to carry out such a measure? With great respect, we would send a diplomatic note of protest,” added the president during his morning press conference, held from the Treasury Hall of the National Palace.

Through a letter addressed to the Secretaries of State, Antony Blinken, and of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Democratic legislator of Mexican origin condemned, on April 5, the "flagrant support" that Mexican deputies have given to the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

“It is quite shameful that Mexico, our closest neighbor to the south, has chosen not to be in unity with the international community of democracies,” lamented González, who also criticized the Mexican government for refusing to send aid to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

Regarding the Mexican deputies, the Democratic legislator from Texas said that if they choose to support the tyranny of Russia, "they should not be allowed the privilege of entering, traveling or investing in the United States."

"I urge you to take steps to ensure that no foreign government officials who support Russia during this aggressive and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have entry privileges into our country," the Democratic lawmaker asked Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas.

González insisted that by revoking Mexican lawmakers' visas, the US government would send a clear message to those who have chosen to support the uncivilized and criminal behavior of the Russian regime.

The Texan legislator also pointed out that despite the fact that the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, publicly maintains a neutral position in the face of the conflict, the actions of members of his Morena party show the opposite.

Among the politicians who are on the list presented by the Democratic representative are: Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez -current national president of the Labor Party (PT)-, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, Augusto Gómez Villanueva, Armando Contreras Castillo, Margarita García García, Nelly Maceda Carrera, Pedro Daniel Abasolo Sánchez, Armando Reyes Ledezma, Alfredo Porras Domínguez, Miriam Citlalli Pérez Macintosh and Clementina Marta Decker Gómez.

Also on the list are: María Rosalía Jiménez Pérez, Eraclio Rodríguez Gómez, Manuel Huerta Martínez, Raúl Ernest Sánchez Zavala, Oscar González Yáñez, Francisco Javier Huacas Esquivel, Reginaldo Sandoval Flores, Santiago González Soto, Ángel Benjamín Robles Montoya, José Luis García Duque , Maribel Martínez Ruiz, José Mario Osuna Medina, Jesús Fernando García Hernández, Ana Laura Bernal Camarena.

UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE US TO TRY TO INFLUENCE RELATIONS WITH MEXICO, SAYS RUSSIA

"We consider that it is unacceptable when the United States tries to influence the activity and decisions of the Government of Mexico," the Russian Embassy said on March 25 through its account on the social network Twitter.

The Russian embassy rejected Salazar's statement to the effect that Mexico has no friendship with any other nation like the one it has with the United States.

“Do you take into account the annexation by the United States, Mexico's 'best friend', of half of its national territory in the 19th century?”, added the Russian Embassy.

The Russian diplomatic representation added that the purpose of US propaganda is to isolate Russia and diplomats from that country from around the world, through false news, as was the case with the number of spies from that country in Mexico.

“In this context, we would like to address Mr. Salazar asking him in the most friendly way the following question: Who are the more than a thousand US diplomats who work at the US Embassy in Mexico?” they asserted.

“A SHAME”, SAYS THE UKRAINIAN EMBASSY OF THE MEXICO-RUSSIA FRIENDSHIP GROUP IN SAN LÁZARO

Oksana Dramaretska, head of the Embassy of Ukraine in Mexico, criticized the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Viktor Koronelli.

The Ukrainian diplomatic representative considered that this act was a shame, since she reiterated that the Russian forces are invading her territory and it was not possible that the Mexican Legislative Power was fraternizing with them.

“Supporting the murderers is actually participating in their crimes… They are not interested in these legislators joining [Vladimir] Putin. He is a criminal, he is a person who seems crazy, ”said the Ukrainian ambassador to Mexico, quoted by the Milenio newspaper.

EU AMBASSADOR REPROACHES FRIENDSHIP GROUP OF RUSSIA AND MEXICO IN SAN LAZARO

Keneth Lee Salazar, head of the United States Embassy in Mexico, criticized, on March 24, the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was attended by the Russian ambassador Víktor Koronelli .

During the installation of the United States-Mexico Friendship Group in the Lower House, the US diplomat pointed out that his Russian counterpart made "noise" about an alleged relationship between Mexico and Russia.

Likewise, Salazar reminded the Mexican federal deputies that Mexico and the United States united "for freedom" in World War II against the intentions of Adolf Hitler and the Axis Forces.

"We have to be in solidarity with Ukraine and against Russia. It seems to me that the Russian ambassador was here yesterday making a noise that Mexico and Russia were so close, and that, sorry, can never happen, can never happen," he declared. the American ambassador.

“We can no longer say that this is happening on the other side of the world because it can affect us here in Mexico. What [Vladímir] Putin and the Russians are doing is something that I thought I would never see,” Salazar stressed.

“What Russia did by attacking Ukraine is an attack on the freedom and way of life of all of us. When the family is attacked, if someone threatens it, the whole family joins. Here we are talking about a Friendship Group between Mexico and the United States, there can be no differences, we have to do the same”, emphasized the American diplomat.

On March 23, despite the rejection of the deputies of the parliamentary groups of the National Action Party (PAN) and the Citizen Movement (MC), the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group was installed in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union.

Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez, deputy of the Labor Party (PT) parliamentary group and who presided over the installation of the Group, reiterated that the Government of Mexico determined not to issue any sanctions against Russia and welcomed their relations.

"Due to this conflict between Ukraine and Russia, we are going to be in a situation of peace and neutrality, relations are welcome," said the deputy before Viktor Koronelli, head of the Russian Embassy in Mexico.

"Our votes are for this conflict to have a diplomatic solution, a peaceful solution, where the parties agree to end this conflict so that this region of the world finds peace again and this conflict does not escalate," insisted Anaya Gutiérrez.

In the installation of the Group, the Russian ambassador in Mexico, Víktor Koronelli, maintained that Russia did not start "this war", referring to his country's invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.

The Russian diplomat described the war as an operation to demilitarize Ukraine, and thus put an end to the "extermination" of the Russian community in Donbas by the Ukrainian Army, which, according to him, has lasted 8 years.

On the other hand, Koronelli recognized the position of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), of not joining the sanctions against Russia and rejecting Ukraine's request to send weapons.

“We greatly respect the position demonstrated, already several times, by the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador; by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, that Mexico will never join the anti-Russian sanctions and that it will never, despite the requests of the Government of Ukraine, ever supply Ukraine with weapons, ”he said.

"I want to assure you that I have no doubt that what is happening these days is not going to affect Russia's relations with Mexico in any way, which continues to be one of our oldest and most important partners in the Latin American region," the Russian ambassador said.

“In 2021 alone, despite COVID and all restrictions, our trade more than doubled compared to 2020, reaching a record $4.8 billion,” added Koronelli.

The diplomat quoted the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who a few days ago said that: "Today in the world there are countries like China, India, Mexico that will never answer and do anything at the order of Uncle Sam."

Separately, the MC parliamentary group demonstrated for the installation of the Mexico-Russia Friendship Group, with signs that said "No to war." While the PAN caucus demanded a ceasefire and a solution to the conflict based on International Humanitarian Law.

“For no reason do we agree with being part of the recklessness and lack of sensitivity of the situation that Ukraine is going through with the invasion of Russian troops in its territory, which has resulted in 2,421 civilian victims and more than 6.5 million displaced people”, stated the PAN parliamentary group.

 

~~~~~ 

 

 


Remember what I said about putting him on "ignore" ? Have to go soak my knee, it's killing me, I go in at the end of June to set up the new knee surgery thank god. Will be back manana with un otro problema - the "Reforma Electrica", with the other side of the story.


 

 

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