In complete violation of all normal principles of international practice in matters of this kind, tho Villiams Government of Trinidad returned to the Venezuelan Government the members of the FALN who captured a plane and landéd in Trinidad, This was done to focus world attantion on their atrug@lo,
During the incidnomt Irofessor Tricot was at pains to explain in the columns of Le Monde thet such acts were not piracy since their motivation was not porsonal gain but were acts of serious political import, Tecauso of this their participants were entitled to ‘political csylum.' Trazil has recontly given political asylum under similar cirmustances. <At least Prine Winister Willioms could have boen less callous than return these patriotic young people to be tortured perhaps to death,
Only an innocent will not believe that the pressure from the U.S. was intense to chtain this result. The Venezuelan Government must have aleo pressed hard in the same direction,
The pay-off for Trinidad is to be the lifting of the 336 surtax on the exports to Venezuela, Sr. Echevarria let it be understood that the natter was receiving “favourable attention," On tho other hand, Prosident elect, Leoni, may well choose to ignore the promise under pressure ‘from Yenezuelan bisiness men,
Thus “illiams retains his reputation of being a puppet and reduces the international prestige of Trinidad and Tobago to zero. j
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