MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bullrich asks DEA to arrest Maduro in Buenos Aires

“Human Rights have no ideology; and not because you are a left-wing dictator, can you not respect them,” Bullrich said

Argentina's opposition leader Patricia Bullrich, chairwoman of the Propuesta Republicana (PRO) party, a majority partner in the Together for Change (Juntos por el Cambio - JxC) alliance Sunday filed a request before the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro once he lands in Buenos Aires for the VII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).

In her submission, Bullrich argued that for Argentina “it is very important to fight against politicians involved in criminal organizations; this collaboration is for the good of our democracies.” The former Security Minister and current presidential hopeful insisted Maduro was wanted in the United States for his involvement in a drug cartel and that there was even a reward for data leading to his capture.

“If an Argentinean denounces that a person wanted in the United States is here, the DEA offices in Argentina can operate in relation to the arrest of the person who has an arrest warrant, to be extradited to the United States,” Bullrich said while insisting her standing stemmed from “the agreement we have with the United States on criminal cooperation in cases of detainees, information, people with extradition request... It is a bilateral agreement, signed in 1998, whereby, for example, today the Venezuelan airplane that was carrying an Iranian crew is being held. That is why we are working so that this information reaches other organizations, such as the OAS, which is also a signatory of this denunciation,” she explained in a radio interview. “Human Rights have no ideology; and not because you are a left-wing dictator, can you not respect them.”

Bullrich and other opposition leaders, in addition to Elisa Trotta Gamus, the former Venezuelan representative in Argentina of Juan Guaidó's doomed interim government, are to stage a protest in front of the Sheraton Hotel on Jan. 24 during the Celac Summit. Maduro will reportedly be staying at that hotel.

Since 2020, a US$ 15 million reward is on offer from the US State Department for the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who is wanted for narcoterrorism within Venezuela and in connection with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Meanwhile, Argentine President Alberto Fernández said Maduro was “more than invited” to the Summit. “Venezuela is part of CELAC and Maduro is more than invited. As far as I know, he is coming,” Fernández said, according to Folha de Sao Paulo.

“Argentina's position in relation to Venezuela is to, through the Contact Group, stimulate dialogue” between the government and the opposition. “We believe that they can yield good results,” the Argentine leader pointed out.

Also targeted by the protests will be Cuba's Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has confirmed he would be traveling to Argentina, and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega.

(Read also: https://en.mercopress.com/2023/01/19/argentine-opposition-wants-maduro-arrested-if-he-attends-celac-summit )