CHINA, RUSSIA MUST HELP RESOLVE NKOREA CRISIS – TRUDEAU
OTTAWA: China and Russia—despite not being invited to a conference in Canada on the North Korea crisis—must help defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday (Saturday in Manila). Canada and the United States are co-hosting foreign ministers from more than a dozen countries in Vancouver on January 15-17 with the goal of strengthening diplomatic efforts toward denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. Trudeau said Canada “looks forward” to engaging with international partners at the summit. “At the same time,” he added, “we will continue the ongoing dialogue with all partners, including countries like Russia and China who absolutely will play an important role in moving towards peace on the Korean peninsula.” The so-called Vancouver Group is formed by the countries that fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. They include South Korea, Britain, the Philippines and Australia.
HUNDREDS SUPPORTING FUJIMORI PARDON DEMONSTRATE IN LIMA
LIMA: Hundreds of Peruvians demonstrated in Lima on Friday (Saturday in Manila) in support of the controversial pardon given to former strongman Alberto Fujimori. Waving a massive Peruvian flag and holding photos of Fujimori and President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who granted the pardon last month, supporters of the ex-president marched through the streets of the Peruvian capital, yelling chants including “friend, Peru is with you!” and “terrorism never again!” The 79-year-old Fujimori was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses committed during his time in office from 1990 to 2000. Fujimori earned respect from many Peruvians for his ruthless and unflinching campaign to defeat leftist Shining Path guerrillas during his presidency. The pardon came just days after his son Kenji and other Fujimorist lawmakers abstained from voting on Kuczynski’s impeachment in what was seen by many as a backroom deal to save the president from corruption charges. Kuczynski—who defeated Fujimori’s daughter Keiko for the presidency in 2016—said he had pardoned the ex-president for humanitarian reasons, reneging on an election pledge never to do so.
UK BLAMES PROTESTS AS TRUMP CANCELS LONDON TRIP
LONDON: The British government blamed the threat of mass protests for President Donald Trump’s decision Friday to cancel a visit to London to open the new US embassy, and warned that criticism of the White House risked harming US-UK relations. Trump said he was abandoning next month’s trip because he did not like the location and cost of the new embassy building. But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson suggested the decision was prompted by the opposition to Trump in Britain, and warned such critics “seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk.” Prime Minister Theresa May offered Trump a state visit to Britain one year ago, when she became the first foreign leader to visit the White House after his inauguration. But the date has yet to be set in the face of deep hostility to the president in Britain, prompting speculation it could be turned into a lower profile trip focused around the opening of the new embassy. Trump tweeted overnight that he would not attend the ceremony, initially scheduled for next month.