Diego Arria

Arria was schooled partly in Caracas and partly at the Augusta Military Academy at Fort Defiance, Virginia. He obtained a degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan.{{in lang|es}} noticias24.com, 11 February 2012, [http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/90153/perfil-de-diego-arria-un-hombre-con-amplia-experiencia-y-una-propuesta-radical/ Perfil de Diego Arria: Un hombre con amplia experiencia y una propuesta radical] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130130052918/http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/90153/perfil-de-diego-arria-un-hombre-con-amplia-experiencia-y-una-propuesta-radical/ |date=2013-01-30 }} Arria worked for the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., until he returned to Venezuela in 1969, initially as Director of Tourism in Rafael Caldera's Ministry of Development, and later as president of the CONAHOTU (National Corporation of Hotels and Tourism),Judith Ewell (1984), Venezuela: A Century of Change, C. Hurst & Co, p178 and president of Venezuelan Tourism Corporation.

Arria resigned as head of the Venezuela Tourism Corporation to create the political movement Causa Común (Common Cause) that later supported the presidential candidacy of Carlos Andrés Pérez. In 1973, Arria was elected member of the National Congress, representing the state of Miranda. Shortly after Carlos Andrés was elected in March 1974, he appointed Arria Governor of the Federal District (Caracas), at a time when this was one of the most important presidential appointments."the tasks given to federal district governors between 1945 and the 1970s, and the kinds of individuals appointed to this office, suggest that a president viewed naming the federal district governor to be one of his three or four most important appointments." - Steve Ellner, David J. Myers, "Caracas: incomplete Empowerment amid Geographical Feudalism", p103, in David J. Myers, Henry A. Dietz (2002), Capital city politics in Latin America: democratization and empowerment, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002 In September 1974, he went to Chile to negotiate with President Pinochet for the release of his friend Orlando Letelier, who later became a colleague at the Inter American Development Bank in D.C. Pinochet ordered the release of Letelier, who was told by the officer in charge that "the arm of DINA is long; General Pinochet will not and does not tolerate activities against his government." This was a clear warning to Letelier that living in exile in Venezuela and United States would not guarantee his safety. In fact, not long after in 1976, Letelier was murdered in a car bomb attack in Washington D.C on Pinochet's order.{{cite web |url=http://www.ideaspublicas.org/2006/09/28/carta-a-los-chilenos/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306070305/http://www.ideaspublicas.org/2006/09/28/carta-a-los-chilenos/ |archive-date=2008-03-06 }} Arria intervened again by bringing Letelier's body to Caracas for burial, where it remained until the end of Pinochet's rule. He subsequently moved from the governorship to become Minister of Information and Tourism in February 1977.Howard Rae Penniman (1980), [https://books.google.com/books?id=kOMOAAAAYAAJ Venezuela at the polls: the National elections of 1978], American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, p159{{Cite web |url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/initiatives/latin_america/events/2010/month03/venezuela_08.php |title=Carr Center for Human Rights Policy |access-date=2010-05-14 |archive-date=2012-08-05 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805170506/http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/initiatives/latin_america/events/2010/month03/venezuela_08.php |url-status=dead }} He resigned on 17 March 1978 in order to stand as an independent candidate in the 1978 Venezuelan presidential election.[https://books.google.com/books?id=LcxoAAAAMAAJ Latin America political report, Volume 12], Latin American Newsletters Ltd., 1978, p89 As part of his campaign, he published two books: "Primero La Gente" ("The People First") and "Dedicación a una Causa" ("Dedication to a Cause").

In 2012, Arria stood as an independent candidate for the presidential nomination of the Coalition for Democratic Unity for the 2012 Venezuelan presidential election. Primary elections were held on 12 February 2012, with Henrique Capriles Radonski winning the nomination.

Arria was Venezuela's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1991 to 1993,{{cite web |url=http://www.worldforum.org/Commission-On-Globalisation/leadership/bios/bio_arria.htm |title=Diego Arria |access-date=2010-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714154415/http://www.worldforum.org/Commission-On-Globalisation/leadership/bios/bio_arria.htm |archive-date=2010-07-14 }}adolfotaylhardat.net, [http://www.adolfotaylhardat.net/cvarte.htm Adolfo Raul Taylhardat - Curriculum Vitae] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903081614/http://www.adolfotaylhardat.net/cvarte.htm |date=2011-09-03 }} and President of the Security Council (March 1992),United Nations, [https://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scpres1990.htm Presidents of the Security Council : 1990-1999] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018015052/http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scpres1990.htm |date=October 18, 2012 }} during Venezuela's membership of the Security Council. Arria later became Special Advisor to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN.{{cite web |url=http://europeancourier.org/DiegoArria.htm |title=The European Courier | Diego Arria |access-date=2010-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209012224/http://www.europeancourier.org/DiegoArria.htm |archive-date=2010-02-09 }}

As UNSC president, he initiated the eponymous 'Arria formula'http://dspace.cigilibrary.org/jspui/bitstream/123456789/18545/1/The%20Arria%20Formula.pdf?1{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} a very informal consultation process which affords members of the Security Council the opportunity to hear persons in a confidential, informal setting. These meetings are presided over by a member of the Council who acts as a facilitator for the discussion rather than the President of the council. Arria has described this formula as a way of ensuring that members 'have to be honest'.{{cite web |url=http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/international/0009693-interview-diego-arria.html |title=Interview: UN Security Council President - Diego Arria | International | the Cambridge Student |access-date=2014-06-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140605095602/http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/international/0009693-interview-diego-arria.html |archive-date=2014-06-05 }} He was chairman during the massacres at Srebrenica. After visiting the enclave, he warned of its impending doom and predicted that a massacre would take place, saying it was "slow motion Genocide" and describing the besieged enclave as "a concentration camp policed by UNPROFOR".{{cite web | title=U.N. Visitors Say Srebrenica Is 'an Open Jail' | website=The New York Times | date=1993-04-26 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/26/world/un-visitors-say-srebrenica-is-an-open-jail.html | access-date=2020-02-12}} According to the UN,

During the March 1992 Council presidency of Venezuela, Ambassador Diego Arria was contacted by Fra Joko Zovko, a Croatian priest who was eager to convey an eyewitness account of the violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina to members of the Council. Not being able to find a formal way to hold a meeting, Arria decided to invite Council members to meet with Fra Joko in the UN delegates lounge. This experience gave Arria the idea of institutionalising this innovative informal meeting format which came to be known as the “Arria-formula”. With the concurrence of Council members, subsequent Arria meetings moved from the delegates lounge to a UN conference room in the basement and were supported by simultaneous interpretation. More recently, many Arria meetings have been held in large UN conference rooms such as, for example, the Trusteeship Council chamber.{{cite web | title=Arria-Formula Meetings : UN Security Council Working Methods : Security Council Report | website=February 2020 Monthly Forecast | date=2019-10-17 | url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-security-council-working-methods/arria-formula-meetings.php | access-date=2020-02-12}} See also [https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/arria-formula UN Security Council Working Methods Handbook]

One Arria formula meeting did gain attention; it was hosted by the Russian UN delegation{{cite web | title=Arria-formula Meeting on Syria Chemical Weapons : What's In Blue | website=What's In Blue | date=2020-01-20 | url=https://www.whatsinblue.org/2020/01/arria-formula-meeting-on-syria-chemical-weapons.php | access-date=2020-02-12}} dealing with OPCW reporting on the Douma chemical attack in the Syrian Civil War, which was held at the UNSC on 20 January 2020.{{cite news | last1=Pavia | first1=Will | last2=York | first2=New | title=Russia accused of misinformation over claim Syrian chemical attack was faked - World | website=The Times | date=2020-01-21 | url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/russia-accused-of-misinformation-over-claim-syrian-chemical-attack-was-faked-870rfbb27 | access-date=2020-02-12}} Other Arria formula meetings have been held on Israeli settlements{{cite web | last=Lazaroff | first=Tovah | title=Greenblatt: Biased UNSC ignores Hamas rockets, blasts Israeli settlements | website=The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com | date=2019-05-09 | url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Settlements-under-fire-at-UNSC-in-advance-of-Trump-peace-plan-watch-live-589288 | access-date=2020-02-12}} and religious persecution in China and Pakistan.{{cite web | title=China, Pak targeted at UNSC for persecution of minorities | website=Tribuneindia News Service | date=2019-08-24 | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/china-pak-targeted-at-unsc-for-persecution-of-minorities-821917 | access-date=2020-02-12}}

Other positions have included diplomatic fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and visiting scholar at Columbia University. He is a member of the noard of directors of the Institute of the AmericasInstitute of the Americas, [http://www.iamericas.org/en/about-ioa/board-of-directors Board of Directors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520060824/http://www.iamericas.org/en/about-ioa/board-of-directors|date=2012-05-20}}, accessed 20 May 2012 and of Freedom Now,Freedom Now, [http://www.freedom-now.org/about/board-of-advisors/ Board of Advisors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615164755/http://www.freedom-now.org/about/board-of-advisors/ |date=2012-06-15 }}, accessed 20 May 2012 and of the Board of Advisors of Inter-American Dialogue.Inter-American Dialogue, [http://www.thedialogue.org/latin_america_advisor_newsletters Board of Advisors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318212708/http://www.thedialogue.org/latin_america_advisor_newsletters |date=2012-03-18 }}, accessed 20 May 2012] He has been a Director at The Columbus Group, and is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board at Athelera LLC as well as a Member of the Board of Advisors at VMS Associates, LLC.BusinessWeek.com, [http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=27129079&privcapId=3625811&previousCapId=23712082&previousTitle=Celera%20Partners,%20LLC Diego E. Arria]{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, accessed 20 May 2012

In November 2011, Arria filed charges for crimes against humanity against Chávez at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.{{cite news|title=Diego Arria files complaint against President Chávez at The Hague|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/111121/diego-arria-files-complaint-against-president-chavez-at-the-hague|access-date=17 June 2014|agency=El Universal|date=21 November 2014}}

File:HaciendaLaCarolina.jpg

On 30 April 2010, Arria's ranch, "La Carolina" in Yaracuy State, was taken over by the Venezuelan government. According to government officials, the ranch was unproductive and was a case of idle lands; according to Arria, the farm had 300 cattle and 90% of it was under some form of agricultural development.{{in lang|es}} El Universal, 2 May 2010, [http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/05/02/eco_ava_prohiben-a-propietar_02A3843051.shtml Prohíben a propietarios ingresar a finca La Carolina] Becoming aware of the expropriation threat, Arria took photos of the farm and the cattle and posted them on the Internet, including the one used here. According to Arria, the expropriation was a reaction to Arria's participation in the Oslo Freedom Forum, where he stated that Chavez will have to face international justice one day for his "crimes" against the Venezuelan people.{{in lang|es}}, elnuevodiario.com.do, 11 May 2010, [http://elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=198546 "Ex embajador de Venezuela dice Chávez le quitó finca por venganza política"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230722/http://elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=198546 |date=2014-07-14 }} He has since described the ranch's seizure as "pillaging and ransacking."

Diego Arria and several other opposition figures were the victims of an attempt by the Venezuelan government to accuse them of a fabricated plot. A top Venezuelan government official, Jorge Rodriguez, alleged that he had uncovered emails between the accused that proved their guilt,{{cite news|title=Burelli difundió correo que "utilizó el Sebin para falsificar prueba"|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/protestas-en-venezuela/140606/burelli-difundio-correo-que-utilizo-el-sebin-para-falsificar-prueba|access-date=14 June 2014|agency=El Universal|date=6 June 2014}}{{cite news|title=JUDICIAL: dictan orden de captura a Burelli, Arria y Koesling|url=http://www.reportero24.com/2014/06/judicial-dictan-orden-de-captura-a-burelli-arria-y-koesling/|access-date=16 June 2014|agency=Reportero 24|date=11 June 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/protestas-en-venezuela/140528/arria-niega-ser-autor-de-los-correos-por-los-que-se-le-acusa-de-conspi | title=Arria niega ser autor de los correos por los que se le acusa de conspirar | publisher=El Universal | date=28 May 2014 | access-date=16 June 2014}} resulting in Venezuela's attorney general Luisa Ortega Díaz subpoenaing Arria as a witness, along with María Corina Machado, Pedro Burelli, and Ricardo Koesling,{{cite news|last1=de la Rosa|first1=Alicia|title=Fiscalía libró órdenes de comparecencia para Burelli, Machado y Arria|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140604/fiscalia-libro-ordenes-de-comparecencia-para-burelli-machado-y-arria|access-date=14 June 2014|agency=El Universal|date=4 June 2014}} and a week later, on June 11, warrants were issued for their arrest.{{cite news | url=http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2014/06/11/1770343/fiscal-general-de-venezuela-ordena.html | title=Ordenan captura de Diego Arria y otros dos opositores venezolanos | work=El Nuevo Herald | date=11 June 2014 | access-date=11 June 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714131903/http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2014/06/11/1770343/fiscal-general-de-venezuela-ordena.html | archive-date=14 July 2014 }} However, the defendants hired Kivu, a US-based cybersecurity company, with Kivu performing an analysis of the alleged emails covered in the Venezuelan government's report, stating that there was "no evidence of the existence of any emails between Pedro Burelli's Google email accounts and the alleged recipients," that the alleged emails had "many indications of user manipulation," and that "Venezuelan officials used forged emails to accuse government adversaries of plotting to kill President Nicolas Maduro."{{cite web | url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/232153227/Evidence-in-English-Evidencia-en-Castellano | title=Evidence in English {{!}} Evidencia en Castellano | publisher=Scribd | access-date=8 September 2014}}{{cite news|title=Expert Says Emails Used to Accuse Maduro Opponents of Assassination Plot Are Fake|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/expert-says-emails-used-to-accuse-maduro-opponents-of-assassination-plot-are-fake-1404171138|access-date=1 July 2014|agency=The Wall Street Journal|date=30 June 2014}}{{cite news|title=Pedro Burelli presenta pruebas forenses de la presunta falsificación de correos|url=http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2014/07/01/pedro-burelli-presenta-pruebas-forenses-de-la-presunta-falsificacion-de-correos/|access-date=3 July 2014|agency=CNN|date=1 July 2014}}{{cite news|title=Venezuela accused of forging Maduro assassination plot evidence|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-plot-idUKKBN0F72GT20140702|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305082647/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-plot-idUKKBN0F72GT20140702|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 5, 2016|access-date=7 September 2014|work=Reuters|date=2 July 2014}}

Arria portrays Venezuelan foreign minister {{ill|Ignacio Iribarren Borges|es}} in the 2008 film Che.{{Cite web |date=2011-06-24 |title=Diego Arria en la película "Che" con Benicio del Toro |url=http://www.diegoarria.com/Articulos/diego-arria-en-la-pel%C3%ADcula-che-con-benicio-del-toro |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Diego Arria |language=es}}

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Category:1938 births

Category:Living people

Category:Permanent representatives of Venezuela to the United Nations

Category:Tourism ministers of Venezuela

Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics

Category:University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni

Category:Columbia University faculty

Category:People of the Crisis in Venezuela

Category:Venezuelan people of Corsican descent

Category:Information ministers of Venezuela

Category:Candidates for President of Venezuela

Category:Carlos Andrés Pérez ministers

Category:Venezuelan international relations scholars