The Netherlands prevented this Monday the transfer of the Venezuelan delegation to that nation, where a meeting with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, is scheduled, as had been agreed in the memorandum of understanding, signed between Venezuela and the institution at the beginning of November.
This was denounced by the Executive Vice President of the Republic, Delcy Rodríguez, who indicated that this delegation would be headed by her person.
"The government of the Netherlands has obstructed and prevented the delegation that was to go to The Hague to carry out the special mission in accordance with international treaties," warned the Executive Vice President.
The Executive Vice President asserted that the Dutch government imposed "conditions that are impossible to meet," violating all international agreements.
The government of the Netherlands argued that the nation cannot provide protection to aircraft, as established by international standards.
"Our delegation would be transported by a Conviasa aircraft, on an official, non-commercial flight, to the Netherlands. Characteristics of a diplomatic flight. This aircraft travels around the world. They claim, deceitfully, that this aircraft does not have the TCO permit, third-country operators," explained the Executive Vice President.
In this regard, he reported that the same aircraft had received authorization on April 9 of this year, and therefore asserted that the decision of the Netherlands "is violating the agreement between the ICC and the host state."
"They are preventing a high-ranking official from attending a face-to-face working meeting with the ICC prosecutor," he added.
In this regard, he recalled some statutes signed between the International Criminal Court and the host country, among which he stressed that none of the representatives of the Member States "shall be subjected by the host State to any measure that may affect the free and independent performance of their functions before the Court."
Another option that the Netherlands had given Venezuela was to use an aircraft that is under maintenance until next year, and that cannot exceed five thousand kilometers.
"There is cynicism behind this decision, there is deceit. They cannot put obstacles in the way of a State party to the Rome Statute from carrying out its functions," said Rodriguez, while asserting that the meeting had already been confirmed by the prosecutor himself.
Faced with this situation, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, instructed the Foreign Ministry to inform the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, about the situation, which violates the UN Charter.
Similarly, the president of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, will be informed of the facts.
In order to comply with the memorandum of understanding signed between the parties on November 3 - after the Prosecutor's visit to Venezuela - a meeting was requested in another country, which allows compliance with the international commitments of the nation.
"I am not asking to go to the Netherlands as a country. I am asking to go, to notify, to fulfill a task. As a host state, they are pathetically and crudely mocking me as is happening right now," he said.
