(5 Mar 2004)
New York, United States - March 4, 2004
1. Set up shot of Ambassador Milos Alcalay and press
2. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Milos Alcalay, Venezuelan Senior Diplomat:
"From the start of the G-15 Summit there have been some actions which I see as having enormous gravity, they alter three fundamental principals which have reigned in my diplomatic career."
Caracas, Venezuela - File
3. Milos Alcalay being recognised during the administration of President Rafael Caldera
New York, United States - March 4, 2004
4. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Milos Alcalay, Venezuelan Senior Diplomat:
"They are: respect for human rights. I cannot be at the United Nations, centre of the defence, promotion and protection of human rights, when in my own country I see women being hit, I see tear gas being thrown on months-old babies, when I see the National Guard, a war machine, when I see tanks on the streets, we all see this on television, and then remain peaceful. I cannot be representing a government which refuses a constitutional right of referendum via signatures. It looks for technicalities which may have some legality, but no legitimacy. The Venezuelan people have the right to a referendum, the people are sovereign and have the right to vote on their own destiny. Why so many technicalities? The answer I give myself is that it is a severe blow to democracy."
Caracas, Venezuela - File
5. Milos Alcalay being recognised during the administration of President Rafael Caldera
New York, United States - March 4, 2004
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Milos Alcalay, Venezuelan Senior Diplomat:
"There are not two Venezuela's confronting each other, there's one Venezuela. This Venezuela must be a democracy in fulfillment of human rights. There must be dialogue, a solution. In that I would like to contribute anyway."
7. End of press conference
Caracas, Venezuela - File
8. Milos Alcalay being recognised during the administration of President Rafael Caldera
STORYLINE:
Venezuela's Ambassador to the United Nations resigned his post in New York on Thursday in protest against what he says are human rights violations and threats to democracy in the South American nation.
Milos Alcalay, a career diplomat, made his announcement at a news conference where copies of a letter to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jesus Arnaldo Perez were handed out.
Alcalay has been a Venezuelan diplomat for over 30 years.
Alcalay said his diplomatic career has been guided by the principles of protecting human rights, operating through a transparent democratic process and supporting an open dialogue for international diplomacy.
Ambassador Alcalay was scheduled to be Venezuela's Ambassador to the United Kingdom after his three-year assignment to the U.N.
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