Jinggoy on Venezuela tensions: Premature to conclude whether US violated int'l law

Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Sunday, 4 January, said it was still premature to conclude whether the United States (US) violated international law after President Donald Trump said Washington will "run" Venezuela until a new government is installed.

Some experts said the US is likely to have violated the terms of the United Nations charter, which was signed in October 1945 and designed to prevent another conflict on the scale of the Second World War.

A central provision of this agreement – known as Article 2(4) – stipulates that states must refrain from using military force against other countries and respect their sovereignty.

Estrada made the statement after American forces had seized Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife early Saturday morning, 3 January, and brought the pair to the US to face what Trump has described as a "narco-terrorism" trial.

"While I stand with those who firmly believe in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, prudence dictates that we allow tensions to subside and more facts to emerge before making definitive pronouncements," he said.

"At this point, it is premature to conclude whether international law has been violated, especially as the United States government maintains that the incident was part of a law-enforcement operation," he added.

Estrada said the country's first and foremost concern should be the well-being of Filipinos who may be affected by the situation in the South American country.

"In situations such as this, restraint and careful assessment are essential to avoid speculation and unnecessary escalation," he said.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are 74 Filipinos in Venezuela.

The Philippine Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, which serves as a non-resident mission for Venezuela, assured that it is ready to provide the necessary and appropriate assistance to Filipinos there.