CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE CARACAS TELNO 37
OF 02163OZ MARCH 90
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
HKÖ
400 / 1
RECEIVED IN RESTAY
DESK
INDEX
0 8 MAR 1990
다.
022451
MDHOAN 4317
TOP COPY Q DIST
69
ACTING CONSUL-GENERAL OF VENEZUELA
1
VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR, ACCOMPANIED BY MINISTER/COUNSELLOR, SENORA JOCELYN HENRIQUEZ DE KING, CALLED ON MARTIN, ASSISTANT MARSHAL OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, TODAY, 2 MARCH, TO RECEIVE A LETTER BROADLY IN SAME TERMS AS THE ONE ALREADY FAXED TO YOU BUT STATING THAT REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF ANY IMMUNITY HAD BEEN MADE THROUGH YOU TO MFA.
2
AT THE
IN HANDING OVER LETTER, MARTIN TOLD AMBASSADOR THAT PURPOSE OF CALL WAS SIMPLY TO KEEP HIM ABREAST OF EVENTS. OUTSET, THEY AGREED THAT ANY DISCUSSION THEY HAD WOULD BE COMPLEMENTARY AND SUBSIDIARY TO ACTION BEING TAKEN BY YOU WITH MFA AND SHOULD NOT BECOME SECOND CHANNEL OF ACTION WHICH WOULD ONLY SERVE TO CONFUSE WHAT WAS A DELICATE ISSUE WITH POTENTIALLY COMPLEX LEGAL OVERTONES.
3
MARTIN WENT THROUGH DETAILS SURROUNDING RAMIREZ'S ARREST AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE ON BAIL. THIS PROVOKED LITTLE COMMENT BUT IN HANDING OVER COPY OF FULL TEXT OF MFA NOTE OF 1 MARCH (YOUR TELNO 54), AMBASSADOR RAISED THE MFA'S CONTENTION THAT RAMIREZ'S ARREST UNDER ARTICLE 41 OF THE VIENNA CONVENTION HAD NOT BEEN MADE QUOTE PURSUANT TO A DECISION BY THE COMPETENT JUDICIAL AUTHORITY UNQUOTE. WE WERE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS BY POINTING OUT THAT UNDER BRITISH LEGAL PROCEDURES, ARREST WARRANTS ARE NOT ISSUED WITHOUT JUDICIAL AUTHORITY AND THAT WE BELIEVED THIS WOULD BE THE CASE IN HONG KONG. (WE HAD NOT AT THIS STAGE SEEN HONG KONG TELNO 793.)
HURD
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