US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias

The erstwhile president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, says his US visa has been revoked.

Arias, a Nobel laureate, said helium was informed of the determination weeks aft helium had publically criticised Donald Trump, comparing the behaviour of the US president to that of a Roman emperor.

The 84-year-old, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his relation successful brokering an extremity to conflicts successful Central America, said US authorities had fixed nary explanation.

Arias hinted, however, that it whitethorn beryllium owed to his rapprochement with China during the clip helium was president from 2006 to 2010.

Speaking astatine a quality league successful the Costa Rican capital, San José, Arias said helium had "no idea" what the crushed for the cancellation was.

He said helium had received a "terse" email "of a fewer lines" from the US authorities informing him of the decision.

He added that helium thought that it was not President Trump but the US State Department which had taken the decision.

While helium said it would beryllium conjecture connected his portion to speculate astir the crushed down the visa revocation, helium did constituent retired that "I established diplomatic relations with China.

"That, of course, is known passim the world," helium told journalists of his 2007 determination to chopped ties with Taiwan and found them with China instead.

The Trump medication has sought to reason China's power successful the Western hemisphere and has accused a fig of Central American governments of cosying up to the Chinese authorities and Chinese companies.

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However, it has been supportive of the existent Costa Rican President, Rodrigo Chaves, praising his determination to exclude Chinese firms from participating successful the improvement of 5G successful Costa Rica.

But this perceived closeness betwixt President Chaves and the US was criticised by Arias, who wrote a station connected societal media successful February saying that "it has ne'er been casual for a tiny state to disagree with the US government, little truthful erstwhile its president behaves similar a Roman emperor, telling the remainder of the satellite what to do".

He added that "during my governments, Costa Rica ne'er received orders from Washington arsenic if we were a banana republic".

Arias is not the lone Costa Rican to person had his US visa revoked. Three members of the country's nationalist assembly who opposed President Chaves's decree to exclude Chinese companies from participating successful the improvement of 5G person besides had theirs cancelled.