Dialogue

Sept. 22 (UPI) — Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that President Nicolás Maduro sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he was willing to hold direct talks with Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell.

“The letter was delivered Sept. 6 to a South American intermediary to be passed on to its recipient. … In it is reflected Venezuela’s irrefutable truth: We are a territory free of illicit activities, peaceful and secure,” Rodríguez said on Telegram, where she also published the letter.

It added: “The military threat against Venezuela, the Caribbean and South America must cease, and the proclamation of a Zone of Peace must be respected.”

In the letter, Maduro said “many controversies have arisen around the relationship between the United States and Venezuela. In the midst of these controversies we have witnessed countless fake news stories circulating in the media.”

He recalled “the fake news claiming that Venezuela had refused to accept migrants returning to our country,” adding that the issue “was resolved and clarified quickly in a conversation with Grenell, Trump’s special envoy to Venezuela.”

Maduro said “This channel has functioned impeccably during the first months of your second administration. We have always sought direct communication to address and resolve any issue that arises between our two governments.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in the daily news briefing Monday that “We have seen the letter. Frankly, I think there were a lot of lies repeated by Maduro, and the administration’s position on Venezuela has not changed.

“We view the Maduro regime as illegitimate, and the president has clearly shown that he is willing to use any and all means necessary to stop the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs from the Venezuelan regime into the United States,” Leavitt said.

The letter was sent days after Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he had ordered a “kinetic strike” on a vessel “linked to a cartel” departing Venezuela, saying there was “proof” the boat was carrying drugs. Eleven alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang were killed in the strike.

“In recent weeks, there have been absolutely false accusations of links with mafias and drug-trafficking groups involving Venezuela’s legitimate authorities,” Maduro added in his letter.

In his view, this is the worst “fake news” directed at his country, meant to justify an escalation into an armed conflict that would cause catastrophic damage to the continent. The president said Venezuela is a “territory free of drug production and a country irrelevant in the field of narcotics.”

He also cited United Nations data indicating that only about 5% of the drugs leaving Colombia “attempt” to transit through Venezuela, where they are “fought, intercepted and destroyed” once seized.

He added that “a very relevant fact is that this year we have already neutralized and destroyed more than 70% of that small percentage that tries to cross through the long border of more than 2,200 kilometers we share with Colombia. We have destroyed 402 aircraft linked to international drug trafficking in accordance with Venezuelan law.”

Maduro closed his letter by inviting Trump to “preserve peace through dialogue and understanding across the hemisphere. This and other issues will always remain open for a direct and frank conversation with your special envoy Richard Grenell, to overcome media noise and fake news.”

Between the delivery of the letter and its public release, relations with the United States saw a rapid military escalation: Trump announced successive “kinetic strikes” on boats departing from Venezuela.

At least 15 people have been killed in the airstrikes, with Trump said they were “terrorists” involved in drug trafficking. The fatal interdictions came from expanded U.S. naval deployment in the Caribbean under an “anti-drug” campaign that has included allies.

Venezuela has announced a “Sovereign Caribbean 200” campaign in response to U.S. military movements in the region.

Clifton Powell is unapologetically dropping the name of the agent who he alleges fired him for taking a role in the 2005 musical “The Gospel.”

“My agent at the time, and I’ll say his name, his name is Jeff Witjas at APA,” the veteran actor told “The Art of Dialogue” last week on YouTube. “He called me and said, ‘You’re doing another one of those little Black movies?’ I said, ‘You’re damn right. I got a family to feed’ and hung up the telephone on his ass and they let me go.”

Witjas did not respond immediately Friday to The Times’ request for comment.

One of Hollywood’s famous “Oh, that guy” character actors is headed toward 300 credits in his prolific career. Powell, 69, has appeared in Oscar-winning films like the 2004 biopic “Ray,” critically acclaimed films like the 1993 crime drama “Menace II Society” and box office juggernauts like the 1998 buddy-cop comedy “Rush Hour.”

Throughout his career, Powell said he doesn’t let his representation dictate the projects he takes. When picking his projects, the actor follows advice given to him by Jamie Foxx years ago.

“He said, ‘Clif Powell, keep one foot in…’ that means keep one foot in with your people and I’m always going to be with the people, because African Americans, and young white kids, young Asians, Latinos and women have made me a household name.”

Powell said his mentality has paid dividends. The director of “The Gospel” later cast him in Peacock’s critically hailed crime drama “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.”

His hiccup with a top acting agency did not slow down his career. Based on his IMDb page, Powell has remained a working actor and kept his family well fed. But there are certain roles his personal boundaries have ruled out: gay roles.

“It’s not militant. It’s just that I’m — certain things I’m just not comfortable with,” Powell said.

One role that did fall within his zone of comfort was a part in 2Pac’s dystopian music video for “California Love,” where his character is introduced as “Monster” by a high-pitched Chris Tucker.

“A lot of people still don’t know that’s me … everybody thinks that’s George Clinton,” Powell said on “The Art of Dialogue.”

So shout his name next time the video plays, instead of saying “That’s the guy from ‘Rush Hour.’” That guy’s name is Clifton Powell.

Opposition party dismisses possibility of talks as President Aleksandar Vucic urges debate after nine months of angry protests.

Serbia’s populist president has called for dialogue with antigovernment protesters in the Balkan country following more than nine months of demonstrations that have challenged his rule.

“Serbia has to solve its problems with democratic dialogue, not with violence,” President Aleksandar Vucic wrote in a post accompanied by a video that he shared on Instagram on Friday.

“I invite the representatives of the blockade movement to a conversation and a public debate about visions, to discuss our plans and programmes for the future and all together condemn the violence on our streets,” he added.

In the video address from his office in Belgrade, Vucic said he was ready to speak with the representatives of students and other antigovernment protesters, including in TV debates.

“I propose … discussion and debate on all our televisions, on all our [internet] portals with legitimate representatives, that is, those they choose,” Vucic said.

The months of protests across Serbia were prompted by the deaths of 16 people when a roof on a renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed last November.

Protesters have blamed corruption for the station disaster and are demanding early elections in the hope of ousting Vucic and his party.

They also accuse the government of using violence against political rivals and suppressing media freedoms. The government denies all the allegations.

The protests were mainly peaceful until earlier this month, when dozens of police officers and civilians were injured in clashes, and hundreds were detained.

‘You don’t make a fire department with an arsonist’

“I want us to confront visions … to solve that through dialogue and conversation … no conflict, no violence. To rebuild the country again, to get it back on track where it was nine months ago,” Vucic said.

Savo Manojlovic, the head of the centrist opposition Move-Change party, dismissed the possibility of talks.

“A president who resorts to violence is not someone with whom you can debate about political issues, this is a … corrupt government that tramples on … democracy and human rights,” Manojlovic said.

“You don’t make a fire department with an arsonist.”

Vucic’s second and final five-year presidential term ends in 2027, when parliamentary elections are also due.

Representatives of the students said they would debate with Vucic only during an election campaign.

“He [Vucic] has no answer to the popular rebellion … We will debate … during the campaign, after the elections are announced,” students from the Belgrade-based Faculty of Philosophy said in a statement.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa wants people to come together and talk.

He has launched a national dialogue process – billed as citizen-led – for South Africans from all walks of life to decide how to deal with challenges from crime and corruption to poverty and inequality.

But critics say his party, the African National Congress (ANC), has had 30 years in power to do just that.

So, can a conference help to solve longstanding problems in the country?

Will the talks address the divisions in the ANC?

And what’s the next chapter for South African politics?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Lindiwe Zulu – Member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress

Imraan Buccus – Senior research associate at the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute

William Gumede – Associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance

North Korean leader’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, dismisses Seoul’s outreach efforts under new president.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister has rejected the possibility of dialogue with South Korea amid Seoul’s outreach efforts under its new left-leaning president.

In a statement issued by state-run media on Monday, Kim Yo Jong dismissed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s efforts to mend ties with Pyongyang, including the cessation of loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the tense inter-Korean border.

Kim, who oversees propaganda operations within the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, called Lee’s decision to halt the broadcasts a “reversible turning back of what they should not have done in the first place.”

If South Korea “expected that it could reverse all the results it had made with a few sentimental words”, nothing could be a “more serious miscalculation”, Kim said in the comments carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also accused the Lee administration of “spinning a daydream” after its unification minister, Chung Dong-young, earlier this month expressed support for Kim Jong Un being invited to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in October.

The Lee administration’s “blind trust” in South Korea’s security alliance with the United States and “attempt to stand in confrontation” with Pyongyang are little different from the policies of the previous conservative administration of Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim said.

“We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither the reason to meet nor the issue to be discussed with the ROK,” Kim said, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

Lee, who took office last month following Yoon’s removal over a short-lived declaration of martial law, has expressed his desire to improve relations between the divided Koreas, which have been technically at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Lee’s left-leaning Democratic Party and its predecessors have traditionally favoured closer ties with North Korea, in comparison with Yoon’s conservative People Power Party and its precursors.

Earlier this month, South Korea announced that it repatriated six North Koreans who had been rescued at sea earlier this year after their vessels drifted across the de facto maritime border.

Israel attacked Iran just days before Tehran and Washington were to meet for a new round of nuclear talks.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he believes Tehran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after US and Israeli attacks on his country.

“I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks,” Pezeshkian told US right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday and released on Monday.

His remarks came less than a month after Israel launched its unprecedented June 13 bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

The Israeli attacks took place two days before Tehran and Washington were set to meet for a new round of nuclear talks, stalling negotiations that were aimed at reaching a deal over Iran’s atomic programme.

A week later, in separate attacks on June 21, the US also bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Iranian state media said on Monday that the death toll from the 12-day war had risen to at least 1,060.

Pezeshkian blamed Israel, Iran’s archenemy, for the collapse of talks with the US.

“How are we going to trust the United States again?” he asked.

“How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?”

Iran’s president also accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him during the June attacks.

“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian told Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him.

“It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting … they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks from Persian into English.

On June 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it would “end the conflict” after reports emerged at the time that US President Donald Trump had vetoed the move.

While a ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24, during the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian accused Netanyahu of pursuing his “own agenda” of “forever wars” in the Middle East and urged Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by the Israeli leader.

Netanyahu is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House.

“The United States’ president, Mr. Trump, he is capable enough to guide the region towards peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp,” Pezeshkian said.

“So it is up to the United States president to choose which path.”

Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success.

On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran’s nuclear programme had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere.

The leader of the party, John Steenhuisen, said the initiative was a ‘waste of time and money’.

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party has withdrawn from a “national dialogue” initiative after the leader of the party referred to it as nothing more than a “waste of time and money”.

John Steenhuisen said on Saturday that corruption was plaguing the government, which he blamed on President Cyril Ramaphosa, but stopped short of leaving the coalition.

“Nothing will change in South Africa for the better if we keep the same people around the cabinet table who have involved themselves in corruption,” Steenhuisen said during a news conference.

Following last year’s general election, where Ramaphosa’s African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in three decades, it was forced to team up with the DA, the second-biggest party, to form a government called the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The two parties are ideologically different, however.

The DA is market-friendly and right-leaning, while the ANC is a centre-left party, leaving the two sides to repeatedly clash over issues such as the budget and Black empowerment laws.

Last month, Ramaphosa launched a process to unite the country, referred to as a “national dialogue”, to address the most significant issues affecting South Africa, including high unemployment and crime.

‘All bets are off’

Adding to the tensions, on Thursday, Ramaphosa fired DA deputy minister Andrew Whitfield from his position due to an unauthorised overseas trip to the United States.

Steenhuisen denounced that decision and said Whitfield had sent written requests for the trip, which had been ignored by Ramaphosa.

In an ultimatum, Steenhuisen said that the ANC must fire Thembi Simelane, Nobuhle Nkabane and other ANC members who face corruption allegations in 48 hours, otherwise “all bets are off and the consequences will be theirs to bear”.

On Friday, a statement from the presidency said the decision to sack the minister was due to a “clear violation of the rules and established practices” for ministers.

“Let it be clear that the President shall not yield to threats and ultimatums, especially coming from members of the Executive that he has the prerogative to appoint in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,” the presidency added.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV urged the warring sides in the Israel-Iran war to “reject the logic of bullying and revenge” and choose a path of dialogue and diplomacy to reach peace as he expressed solidarity with all Christians in the Middle East.

Speaking at his weekly Wednesday general audience, the American pope said he was following “with attention and hope” recent developments in the war. He cited the biblical exhortation: “A nation shall not raise the sword against another nation.”

A ceasefire is holding in the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, which involved Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and the U.S. intervening by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful.

“Let us listen to this voice that comes from on High,” Leo said. “Heal the lacerations caused by the bloody actions of recent days, reject all logic of bullying and revenge, and resolutely take the path of dialogue, diplomacy and peace.”

The Chicago-born Leo also expressed solidarity with the victims of Sunday’s attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, Syria, and urged the international community to keep supporting Syrian reconciliation. Syria’s Interior Ministry has said a sleeper cell belonging to the Islamic State group was behind the attack at the Church of the Holy Cross, which killed at least 25 people.

“To the Christians in the Middle East, I am near you. All the church is close to you,” he said. “This tragic event is a reminder of the profound fragility that still marks Syria after years of conflict and instability, and therefore it is crucial that the international community doesn’t look away from this country, but continues to offer it support through gestures of solidarity and with a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation.”

The 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, held in late May 2025 in Singapore, continued to clearly reflect the escalating strategic tensions between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region. Mutual criticism of freedom of navigation, militarization of the South China Sea, and the “rules-based” international order created an atmosphere of near-confrontation.

In that context, Vietnam—a country with a strategic position and close relations with both the United States and China—has once again attracted the attention of international analysts as a potential model of the “soft balancing” strategy. The question is, can Vietnam continue to maintain an independent and autonomous foreign policy while the great powers are increasingly exerting pressure?

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech at Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 reaffirmed America’s “unwavering” commitment to the security of its allies and partners in Asia, with a particular emphasis on “freedom of navigation in the South China Sea” and opposition to “unilateral actions that change the status quo.” Hegseth also announced the expansion of defense cooperation with many Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.

In turn, China has criticized the United States for using the Shangri-La Dialogue to “create disputes, sow discord, provoke confrontation, and pursue selfish interests,” after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called China a threat in the Indo-Pacific region.

The war of words between the United States and China at Shangri-La 22 not only reflects the stance of the two powers but also an effort to shape the understanding of regional security, leaving countries like Vietnam facing many difficult choices.

Since 2023, when upgrading relations with the US to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” Vietnam has entered a new phase in its policy of “multilateralization and diversification” of international relations. Bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and the US has exceeded the 124 billion USD mark in 2024, while the US has also actively promoted cooperation in technology, cybersecurity, and maritime patrol support.

However, China remains Vietnam’s largest trading partner, with total two-way trade reaching a peak of over 230 billion USD in 2023. In addition, China is also an important source of input materials in many manufacturing and processing sectors.

Geostrategically, Vietnam is caught between two increasingly clear poles of influence. Leaning too heavily toward one side not only violates Hanoi’s principle of independent and autonomous diplomacy but also carries the risk of being drawn into conflicts that are not its own.

Vietnam’s “four no’s” defense policy—no participation in military alliances; no alliance with one country against another; no allowing foreign countries to set up military bases; No use of force or threat of use of force—continues to be affirmed after Shangri-La.

However, the challenge lies in practical implementation in the context of the US increasing its military presence in the East Sea, while China continues to consolidate artificial outposts and increase its maritime law enforcement forces.

Vietnam has been strengthening its defense capabilities, but it is not seeking a rigid alliance. Its defense procurement from multiple sources (Russia, Israel, South Korea, India, etc.) reflects its desire to maintain a flexible neutrality. In addition, Vietnam prioritizes bilateral and multilateral defense dialogues—including the ADMM+ and the ASEAN Maritime Security Capacity Building Initiative—to maintain regional stability.

For many experts, Vietnam is currently one of the few ASEAN countries with the capacity and courage to maintain a “dual pivot ”strategy”—maintaining warm relations with the US while maintaining stability with China. After the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, Vietnam will continue to play an active role in maintaining the stability of the regional power structure. By raising its voice, it will strengthen ASEAN’s central role, from the East Sea issue to building military-security dialogue mechanisms.

However, it cannot be denied that the increasing strategic pressure from both sides may hurt Vietnam’s independent policy space, especially when some countries in the region have begun to lean heavily towards one side; for example, the Philippines has increased military exercises and signed many extensive military agreements with the US.

Vietnam needs to continue moving in the direction of “not choosing sides, but choosing interests.” This means prioritizing substantive projects: energy transition, green technology, improving maritime security capacity, and responding to climate change.

Equally important is to promote bilateral and multilateral dialogue channels to resolve disagreements, especially the East Sea issue. In the context of the Code of Conduct (COC) still not reaching consensus after nearly two decades of negotiations, Vietnam’s proactive mediating role in ASEAN is extremely necessary.

Finally, Vietnam needs to invest more heavily in its domestic “strategic analytical capacity” and foreign policy advisory apparatus to provide flexible, realistic options and respond promptly to strategic movements in the region.

Thus, after the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, although no solution to regional security conflicts emerged, it was a clear reminder that US-China competition will continue, even more fiercely. In that environment, Vietnam has no other choice but to uphold the principles of independence, self-reliance, and cooperation while strengthening internal strength, expanding partnerships, and firmly maintaining a principled stance.

It is not an easy road. But as history has shown, Vietnam’s sobriety and steadfastness in the midst of major strategic currents is the foundation for long-term stability and development.