Venezuelan Chavista leader and deputy, Diosdado Cabello, during his show Con el Mazo Dando. Photo: Con el Mazo Dando.
Venezuelan deputy and Chavista leader Diosdado Cabello said that the biggest steps were not taken at the International Conference on the Political Process in Venezuela, which was organized and promoted by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, because the representatives of the United States Government refused to sign it.
“In the end, a consensus document was not drawn up there because the US did not want to sign it, the US was defeated there so they did not want to sign it,” the first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) said on Wednesday, April 26, during the 428th episode of his television program Con El Mazo Dando. He added that, before setting up the international conference in Bogotá attended by representatives of 20 countries, Venezuela had stated its demands to promote a dialogue with the far-right opposition.
“These are Venezuela’s points,” Cabello stated. “President Petro must have read these points because he knows them: lift the sanctions, return the money that they have stolen from us, return all the assets they have stolen from us, comply with the agreements already signed in México, stop all the attacks in international courts, and release Alex Saab, along with all our prisoners detained abroad.”
Venezuela Reacts to Petro’s International Conference on Venezuela (+Alex Saab)
US plays blackmail
Cabello noted that the US has stated that its plan to lift the sanctions is only if Venezuela complies with the US demands that are not of an electoral nature, as repeatedly mentioned by the media.
“’Electoral schedule,’ that’s already coming,” Cabello stated, listing the US demands of an electoral nature, and pointing out how the Venezuelan government had already been handling all of them. “‘Transparent and trustworthy elections,’ they always are; ‘updating the electoral roll,’ that is always done; ‘international observation,’ now everybody will come and watch. We have no problems with this, just to sit down to execute some things, because these are five points that our president, Nicolás Maduro, has already said must be met.”
He denounced claims that the United States Government hides behind its demands, emphasising the US claim that they will comply after Venezuela complies. “What do they want? That we do everything and if the elections are in August of this year, then they lift the sanctions in June?” Cabello added. “No, my friends, lift the sanctions first and then we will talk.”
“We will not give up!”
The PSUV leader dismissed the possibility of a return to the México Talks without the US meeting Venezuela’s demands, while reiterating the government’s willingness to dialogue “with whoever, wherever.”
“President Nicolás Maduro has made more than two thousand calls for national dialogue because we can talk to anyone, at any time,” Cabello stated. “If they want, let them bring up the subject, we’ll give them that advantage; but the Venezuelan and foreign opposition have believed that when we call for dialogue, it is because we are going to hand over power. I don’t know where they got that idea, but here they [the opposition] lie to the gringos and the Europeans: ‘call them because they are ready to go,’” he noted, in reference to the multiple attempts of the Venezuelan opposition to trick their puppeteers in the US and Europe regarding their real strength.
Diosdado Cabello said that these calls for dialogue by the Venezuelan government, far from being to give up and walk away, are to make it clear to US imperialism—as well as its European and national lackeys—that this Revolution is here to stay. “Dialogue, every day compañero Nicolás Maduro invites them to it, but we are not going to have a dialogue to capitulate,” he warned. “We have told everyone this, so whoever tells them otherwise is lying to them.”
Venezuela Rejects Politicization of Human Rights by ICC Prosecutor Khan
ICC is a US instrument
Diosdado Cabello rejected the fact that among the various actions the United States uses against Venezuela, it also uses international organizations such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), with compliant agents such as Prosecutor Karim Khan.
“The ICC is managed by the United States, with a prosecutor designated by them just to persecute Venezuela; Mr. Karim Ahmad Khan. For this man, his only concern is to persecute Venezuela,” Cabello said. “When talking about ethics—they really don’t have honor—he should refrain from talking about anything Venezuela-related, because he has a very clear predisposition against our country.”
Likewise, he maintained that the recent case being carried out in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the disputed Essequibo territory was ordered by the United States. “The issue of our Essequibo region was ordered by the United States,” he said, “and if they ordered it, they can stop it.”
(Últimas Noticias) by Jesús Inojosa
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
